Photo: Simon M Bruty/Getty Images
U.S. sprinter and Olympic medalist Sha’Carri Richardson was arrested for domestic violence on Sunday, July 27 at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to a police report obtained Friday by LetsRun.com. Richardson, who competed in Thursday’s 100-meter preliminary round at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, before news of her arrest broke, withdrew from the rest of the 100-meter competition.
Per AP News, the incident took place while Richardson and her boyfriend, sprinter Christian Coleman, were in the TSA area of the airport. The police report apparently states that Richardson pulled Coleman’s backpack, pushed him into a wall, and threw what the TSA said were likely headphones at him. The arresting officer also wrote, per AP News, “I was told Coleman did not want to participate any further in the investigation and declined to be a victim.” Richardson was reportedly held overnight at the South Correctional Entity in Des Moines, Washington, and released the following afternoon.
Richardson has not publicly commented on the situation since it occurred. But Coleman, speaking to Citius Mag at the USATF Championships on Sunday, defended her. “I feel like it was just a sucky situation all around. I don’t feel as if she should have been arrested,” he said. “Does she have things that she needs to work on for herself? Of course. But so do I. So do you. So does everybody. And I’m a type of guy, I’m in the business of extending grace and mercy and love.”
Coleman also called Richardson “a great person” and “the best female athlete in the world,” bringing up a February injury and the month and a half of rehab that followed. (Richardson said in an early July press conference last month that she was injured in February, per Olympics.com, a setback that she said delayed her start for the racing season.) “She just has a lot of things going on, a lot of emotions and forces going on inside of her that not only I can’t understand, but nobody can,” said Coleman. “I know that it’s been a tough journey for her this year. But she’s going to bounce back.”
USA Track and Field told AP News, “USATF is aware of the reports and is not commenting on this matter.”
Richardson is scheduled to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, where, as reigning champion, she has a guaranteed spot in the 100-meter event. The Cut has reached out to her representation and will update this post if we hear back.
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