Racist School Videos Cost American Sprinter His Spot in Elite Training Group

Sam Blaskowski, a talented American sprinter dubbed the fastest white runner in U.S. history, has been dropped from the elite Star Athletics training group after old videos of him making racist remarks resurfaced online. The clips were filmed back when the athlete was still in school, but they surfaced on influencer Erin Brown's profile and instantly went viral.

In one video, Blaskowski, grinning broadly, hurls a crude slur at African Americans; in another, he cracks a racist joke claiming Black people supposedly can't swim. After the footage began circulating on social media, the athlete posted a lengthy apology on Instagram.

"Nearly seven years ago, I posted two things on social media that contained a racial slur and what I thought at the time was a joke... There is no excuse for using words like that, ever. I take full responsibility for what I said and I sincerely apologize. I'm ashamed of myself," the sprinter wrote.

Reaction from sports stars and coaches

The apology did nothing to stem the wave of criticism — well-known athletes weighed in as well, including Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin. "We deal with this in the world every day. Sport should at least be a refuge for us, a safe place where this shouldn't happen," he said.

The training group where Blaskowski had been preparing also responded — Florida-based Star Athletics, led by Dennis Mitchell and backed by Nike. The group trains world champions Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha'Carri Richardson, as well as Kenny Bednarek. Blaskowski will no longer train alongside them.

"Star Athletics does not condone racism, discrimination or bullying of any kind. We carefully reviewed the situation within the team and concluded that the next step must be to end our partnership with Sam Blaskowski, in accordance with our code of conduct," the group said in a statement. The sprinter must now look for new coaches.

A possible future in Europe

The athlete may end up finding his new training base in Europe: he has applied for Polish citizenship and could be competing for his new country as early as next year. "My last name is Polish. For a long time I didn't realize that's where my roots were. Recently that changed, because my parents and I have talked about it a lot," he told Polish broadcaster TVP over the summer.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz