Civil rights leaders want CIF to reinstate gold medal to track star after fire extinguisher celebration

SALINAS, Calif. - Attorneys and NAACP leaders are calling for a high school track athlete's gold medal to be reinstated after the California Interscholastic Federation stripped it from her because she celebrated by using a fire extinguisher on her shoes after a race – behavior that the organization told her was unsportsmanlike.

Fire extinguisher

"I was wrongfully disqualified for this," Clara Adams, 16, said on Friday, showing a small fire extinguisher she used to spray her sneakers on May 31 after winning the 400-meter race in 53 seconds at the CIF State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, Calif.  "I went on the grass and sprayed my spikes because my feet were on fire. I just ran 53 seconds in the 400 for the second time in my whole life and career. So that was a big moment for me." 

Clara said after she sprayed her spikes, one CIF official grabbed her arm, and three more came to tell her they had disqualified her for what they called unsportsmanlike conduct, though there are no specific rules about fire extinguishers as part of the organization's policy. 

"What?" she recalled thinking. "I can't even explain what was going through my mind." 

She said she specifically moved off the track, away from her competitors and walked to a grassy field to lift the nozzle on the extinguisher to blast her shoes for about one second. 

Paying homage

Clara was paying homage to 2004 Olympic champion Maurice Greene, who celebrated wins in the same way, as if to say his feet were on fire after he won the 100-meter race.

Speaking at a podium in her North Salinas High School library, Clara was flanked by her father and coach, David Adams, civil rights attorneys Adante Pointer and Marlon Monroe of Oakland, school administrators, her uncles, and other Black leaders. 

It was her father who handed her the fire extinguisher, and it was her uncle, a former firefighter, who showed her how to use it safely. 

Her father, David Adams, said he feels responsible for what happened, but he wanted his daughter to be able to have fun and enjoy her big win.

"If I didn't give her the fire extinguisher, we wouldn't be here right now," he said. 

Then, speaking out loud to the CIF, he said: "Do the right thing. Crown this queen." 

No response from CIF

The CIF has not responded to a request for comment about what happened, or whether they will heed the teen's request to give her the win back.

David Adams commented on this non-response, asking what the organization was scared of. 

Possible legal action

Her family's attorneys have indicated there could be legal action. 

"They immediately disqualified her, stripped her of her state title, banned her from running the 200 and manhandled her away from the infield on what was the greatest moment of her running career," Pointer said. "Instead, they robbed her of her achievement and have yet to explain what they based their actions on."

Pointer said that his firm will "explore every legal avenue available to hold the CIF accountable for their arbitrary, heavy‑handed actions that stole a once‑in‑a‑lifetime victory from Clara, who earned every step of it."

Monroe added that the CIF "appears to have misplaced priorities."

"The organization has elected to go down a path which degrades and humiliates women," Monroe said. "And this is the latest example where you have a young girl who should be celebrated as a champion, but instead was publicly humiliated for doing nothing more than engaging in a good-natured celebration which the crowd and their own announcer enjoyed."

 

Bipartisan support

Clara has other support as well. 

Editorials in newspapers have championed her, as well as state politicians on both sides of the aisle. 

Democrat Robert Rivas, the speaker of the California state Assembly who also represents Salinas, released a statement on Instagram, congratulating Clara and saying what happened to her is "unjust." 

"Congratulations to Clara Adams for her impressive victory at the state track and field championship," Rivas wrote. "The California Interscholastic Federation has made a terrible decision in taking away her gold medal and should apologize and reinstate her title. Clara is a true champion and a Salinas hero! She deserves her gold medal to proudly wear today and forever."

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, a Democrat, posted on X that he will ask the entire board to send a letter to the CIF Director of Track and Field urging Clara to be reinstated as the "true state champion in the 400-meter event,. Officials clearly overreacted. We stand with Clara."

And many Republicans are standing behind her as well. 

In a letter posted on Facebook, the Monterey County Republican Party said Clara "rightfully earned" the medal because of her "dedication and athletic excellence." 

Brian Higgins, political director of the Monterey County Republican Party, wrote: "Her achievement is a source of pride, and we urge our colleagues in the Democratic Party to join us in demanding immediate action from the Salinas City Council and Monterey County Board of Supervisors. By uniting, we can send a strong message to the CIF: Clara’s hard work and victory must be acknowledged and celebrated."

Possible deals, offers 

Clara said that she needs counseling because of what happened, because her "mind isn't right" after being "DQ'd." 

This DQ, or disqualification, is something that other teams and schools will see in the records. 

She said she needs to work through this situation if she's going to run – and win – again. 

But it might all turn out OK – maybe better than OK – for Clara in the end.

Her father said that Nike reached out to them for a potential collaboration, as well as UCLA and Princeton, have contacted him about his daughter. 

Meanwhile, her story is spreading across the globe, as she has been quoted by CNN, the LA Times, the New York Post and Fox News.

"I'm going to bounce back," Clara said. "That's the kind of athlete I am." 

CaliforniaSports