American sprinter Sam Blaskowski is navigating the fallout after some of his old social media posts, which contained racial slurs, have gone viral.
“Almost seven years ago I shared two posts on social media that included a racial slur and what I thought at the time was a joke,” Blaskowski, 23, said in a statement shared via Instagram on Wednesday, September 23. “It was not, and while I did face and accept the consequences of the posts then, these images have reappeared.”
Blaskowski is one of the United States’ most promising young sprinters, having set a 100-meter time of 9.89 seconds earlier this year — the fastest ever for a white sprinter until his record was broken by Lachlan Kennedy at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“I fully understand why they are causing real pain and frustration from people, especially those close to me who were not aware of the issue from several years ago,” Blaskowski wrote. “I have removed myself from Star Athletics, and want to give everyone the time to process, avoid being a distraction and see what the future holds.”
He continued, “First there are no excuses to use this type of language ever. I take full ownership of what I said and want to sincerely apologize for using these words, I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself.”
In one of the posts, Blaskowski appears on video and uses the n-word several times. The other is a racist joke he made via his Snapchat story at the time, in which he openly demeaned a Black person in a public pool.
Blaskowski also emphasized that he has grown since his teenage years when he originally shared the posts.
“The values I hold today, and the way I live my life as a young adult are very different from the judgment I showed when I was younger,” he said. “As I have grown older, I have had the opportunity to learn more about racism, prejudice, and the responsibility that comes with having a public platform.”
He concluded his statement by writing, “To everyone I hurt, then and now, near and far. I hear you, I see you and I am sorry.”
Star Athletics, which also trains Olympians Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, released a statement as well to denounce Blaskowski’s social media posts.
“Star Athletics does not condone racism discrimination or bullying of any kind,” it said. “We take this matter with the utmost seriousness. The values of inclusivity, respect and accountability are foundational to our organisation.”
The statement continued, “We have actively reviewed this situation internally and have determined the appropriate next steps is to have Sam Blaskowski leave Star Athletics in alignment with our code of conduct.”
