According to the Port of Seattle Police Department, the incident occurred on 27/7. Police responded to a disturbance at the airport's security checkpoint, where Richardson and Coleman were engaged in a heated argument.
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Sha’Carri Richardson (right) and Christian Coleman at the 2023 USA Track and Field Championships. Photo: Kevin Morris |
Sha’Carri Richardson (right) and Christian Coleman at the 2023 USA Track and Field Championships. Photo: Kevin Morris
Police reported witnessing Richardson repeatedly shoving Coleman as he attempted to leave. This behavior, captured on security footage, provided sufficient grounds for her arrest on a fourth-degree assault charge related to domestic violence.
Richardson was held for nearly 19 hours at the SCORE South Correctional Entity jail. She was released the following afternoon by court order. Coleman, her boyfriend of two years, declined to testify and stated he did not wish to press charges, leading to the swift closure of the case.
USA Track & Field (USATF) declined to comment on the incident. Richardson's media representatives have also not issued a statement.
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Sha’Carri Richardson celebrates winning the women's 100m final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary on 21/8/2023. Photo: World Athletics |
Sha’Carri Richardson celebrates winning the women's 100m final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary on 21/8/2023. Photo: World Athletics
Following the incident, both Richardson and Coleman participated in the 100m heats at the USATF Championships on 31/7. Richardson finished second in her heat with a time of 11.07 seconds, while Coleman finished his in 10.08 seconds. Both qualified for the semifinals.
Richardson unexpectedly withdrew from the semifinals on 1/8, without providing a reason. Coleman competed in the semifinals and advanced to the final, finishing fifth with a time of 9.86 seconds. As only the top three finishers qualified for the US team heading to the World Championships in Tokyo, Coleman did not make the team.
This is not Richardson's first incident outside of her athletic career. In 2023, she was removed from an American Airlines flight after an argument with a flight attendant. In 2021, she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but was suspended for one month after testing positive for THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, shortly after the US Olympic trials.
Richardson, born in 2000, is one of the most prominent figures in American sprinting over the past decade. She won a gold medal in the 4x100m relay and a silver medal in the 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Previously, she won gold medals in the 4x100m relay and 100m, and a bronze medal in the 200m at the 2023 Budapest World Championships. As the defending world champion, she received automatic qualification for the 100m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
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Christian Coleman celebrates after winning the 100m world title in Doha in 2019. Photo: Reuters |
Christian Coleman celebrates after winning the 100m world title in Doha in 2019. Photo: Reuters
Coleman, born in 1996, was once considered the successor to legendary sprinter Usain Bolt. His career peaked in 2019 when he won the 100m world title in Doha with a time of 9.76 seconds.
However, Coleman's career was significantly disrupted by an 18-month ban for violating doping testing rules, causing him to miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Since then, he has struggled to regain his peak form, consistently participating in major competitions but no longer holding the top spot.
Hong Duy (The Athletic)
