Olympic gold medalist and reigning 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson was arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend, fellow sprinter Christian Coleman.
According to a police report obtained by the Associated Press, the incident occurred on Sunday, July 27, 2025, when a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) supervisor alerted authorities to a disturbance at a security checkpoint.
Surveillance footage reviewed by police reportedly showed Richardson yanking Coleman’s backpack, blocking his path as he tried to walk away, and ultimately shoving him into a wall.
She also appeared to throw an item, possibly a pair of headphones, at him. Richardson, 25, was arrested on a fourth-degree domestic violence charge and booked into the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) jail in Des Moines, Washington on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
She was released the following afternoon.
Police noted that Coleman declined to cooperate with the investigation and chose not to press charges.
USA Track and Field (USATF) acknowledged the incident but declined to comment. Richardson’s agent also did not respond to media inquiries.
Despite the arrest and ongoing scrutiny, Richardson competed on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at the US Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
While she holds an automatic bye to the World Championships in the 100m as defending champion, her bid to qualify for the 200m ended in disappointment on Sunday, August 3, 2025, when she missed out on the final by just 0.01 seconds.
Her 22.56-second run placed her fourth in her heat, just behind Madison Whyte, who claimed the final spot.
Richardson, who won 100m gold at the 2023 World Championships and earned silver in the same event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, now heads into the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo under a cloud of controversy and without the chance to contest the 200m.
Richardson previously missed the Tokyo 2021 Olympics after testing positive for marijuana, but rebounded strongly to win gold in the 4x100m relay and silver in the 100m at the Paris Games.
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