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NC State, Mallard Creek track standout Cunningham added to Team USA

Gabriele Cunningham, a track star at Mallard Creek High School and NC State, will join 9 other athletes from our area in Tokyo in July.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. β€” Former NC State track star Gabbi Cunningham announced on Twitter she will be heading to Tokyo for the Olympics this July.

"Just received the call! I'm going to the OLYMPICS," Cunningham tweeted Friday afternoon. 

Cunningham will be joining Team USA to compete in the 100-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympic Games after Brianna McNeal lost her appeal against a five-year ban, according to a report from World-Track

Cunningham will not be replacing Sha'Carri Richardson, who was suspended for 30 days after she tested positive for a chemical found in marijuana. Richard appeared on the TODAY show to "take responsibility" for her actions.

"I know what I did, and I know what I was supposed to do and allowed not to do. I still made that decision," she said. "I'm not making any excuse or looking for any empathy."

Richardson accepted a 30-day suspension that ends July 27, which would be in time to run in the women’s relays at the Olympics. USA Track and Field has not disclosed plans for the relay. Richardson had what could have been a three-month sanction reduced to one month because she participated in a counseling program.

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Cunningham will join nine other athletes from the North Carolina area going to the Tokyo Olympics in July.

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