SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON VOWS TO SEEK HELP AFTER AIRPORT ARREST

• Sprinter arrested after dispute with Christian Coleman

• Olympic champion to pursue ‘a lot of self-reflection’

• Public apology issued to her boyfriend and fans

The Olympic gold medal sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has said she plans to seek help following her 27 July arrest, which stemmed from a physical confrontation at an airport with her boyfriend, the US sprinter Christian Coleman.

“I’m taking this time to not only see myself but get myself a certain level of help that overall is going to reflect who I truly am in my heart and my spirit and not allowing this moment – but accepting this moment – to be more,” Richardson said in an Instagram post Monday night.

Richardson, 25, won silver in the 100m at the Paris Olympics and was on the gold medal-winning 4x100 relay team.

She was arrested after officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reviewed security video that showed her appearing to grab Coleman’s backpack and shove him toward a wall while he was attempting to move through the terminal.

Richardson posted a one-line comment to Twitter on the afternoon of the arrest that read in all caps: “I WILL ALWAYS GET BACK UP!!!”

In her first public comments on the matter, she said on Monday night that she appreciated being held accountable.

“More than anything, definitely a lot of self-reflection, a lot of understanding of not only putting myself in a compromising situation with somebody that I have a deep care and appreciation for as well, is something that – holding myself accountable,” Richardson said in the video that appeared on her Instagram story.

“So my only thing is, I want to be more – not just only for myself, for my family, my fans. I overly appreciate y’all supporting me and showing love and even holding me accountable to being my best self. So more than anything, I refused to run away … but face everything that comes to me head-on because everything on the other side is greater but you gotta go through in order to get there.”

Richardson issued an apology to Coleman that read in part, “I apologize to Christian. He came into my life and gave me more than a relationship but a greater understanding of unconditional love from what I’ve experienced in my past. Due to my past trauma and pain, I was blind and blocked off to not only receive it but give it. I love him and to him I can’t apologize enough.“

As security footage of the incident became public, Coleman told the Athletic in a video interview: “She’s a human being, and a great person. She 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. She’s one of one. And I’m one of one, too.

“I feel like it was just a sucky situation all around, I don’t feel as if she should have been arrested.”

- Reuters

IS MEN DISQUALIFIED FROM 4X100 RELAY AFTER BOTCHED HANDOVER

USA TODAY Sports 

SAINT-DENIS, France – The 4x100 relay Olympic medal drought continues for the U.S. men, who were disqualified after crossing the finish line in seventh place on Friday.

Canada finished first at 37.50, South Africa took second, running a 37.57 and Great Britain crossed the line at 37.61 to take bronze.

Marred by botched handoffs at previous Olympics, Team USA allowed the issue to rear its ugly head again in Paris.

The team — Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley — bungled the handoff between Coleman and Bednarek. The exchange was late and Bednarek had to nearly stop completely to accept the baton. By the time he received it, the U.S. team was out of position.

The team was later disqualified for running out of the zone because Coleman passed the baton outside of the handoff zone.

"Obviously we all are going to be hard on ourselves. And track and field is an individual sport so we do our own thing in sprinting. So when we come together as a team, that's the fun part of it. Obviously, it's a little disappointing, especially for America, because we wanted to do it, we wanted to bring it home, we knew we had the speed to do it," Coleman told reporters. "It just didn't happen, but we're human beings too. We've been through ups and downs in life. This is another one of those times where we've got to just keep our heads down and keep pushing."

Regardless of the runners making up the U.S. men's team, it has notoriously struggled with baton exchanges at the Olympics.

The U.S. have now had 11 dropped batons, disqualifications or bans in the Olympics and World Championships since 1995, according to Reuters. The team hasn't medaled in the 4x100 relay since taking silver at the 2004 Athens Games. The team’s last gold medal was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Prior to this series of failures, Team USA won this event 15 times — 13 more times than any other nation.

Track and field legend Carl Lewis, who won nine Olympic gold medals, called for a complete overhaul of the program after the disqualification.

"It's time to blow up the system," Lewis posted from his X account. "It is clear that EVERYONE at (USA Track & Field) is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should step on the track and run another relay until this program is changed from top to bottom."

U.S. track star Noah Lyles, who won gold in the 100-meter dash and then contracted COVID-19 on Tuesday, did not take part in the men’s relay final because of his illness. But with a stable of other capable sprinters, the U.S. shouldn't have needed Lyles to medal if the handoffs were clean.

"All of us are world class, and I expect all of us will be back on the team in LA," Coleman said. "I think on home soil, we'll be able to have the confidence to bring it on home."

- Tyler Dragon 

U.S. QUARTET GO FASTEST WITHOUT NOAH LYLES TO MAKE 4X100M MEN’S RELAY FINAL - JAMAICA OUT

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

The United States are on a mission in the athletics at Paris 2024 and made a statement when reaching the men’s 4x100m relay final with the fastest time in the heats.

With 100m champion Noah Lyles sitting out ahead of Thursday night’s 200m final, the U.S. quartet of Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kyree King and Courtney Lindsey won the first heat with a time of 37.47.

Looking to make amends for missing out on the Tokyo 2020 final three years ago, the U.S. appear primed to back up the gold they won at the World Championships last year, while the women's relay team were also fastest in their Olympics heat earlier on Thursday.

South Africa produced a stunning relay to come second (37.94) in the first heat, while Great Britain - who finished fourth in the worlds last year - also made the final after finishing third with a 38.04.

Reigning Olympic champions Italy also raced in a stacked first heat, and their time of 38.07 was only enough to finish fifth as they faced a nervy wait to see if they would go through.

In the second heat, Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists the People’s Republic of China finished first (38.24) ahead of hosts France (38.34) and Canada (38.39), who all qualified.

The two next fastest nations outside of the top three in each heat also qualified, with Japan and Italy doing enough to complete the line-up, while 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson was left disappointed as Jamaica came fifth in the second heat and were unable to qualify.

The men’s 4x100m relay final takes place at 19:45 local time in Paris, just 15 minutes after the women’s 4x100m relay final starts.

- Michael Hincks 

AMERICAN COLEMAN BELIEVES BOLT'S 100M RECORD COUKD FALL SOON

Reuters 

 American sprinter Christian Coleman believes that Usain Bolt's 100-metres record of 9.58 seconds that has stood for 15 years is within reach and said there are several athletes fast enough to break it.

"It seems like the times being run, 9.58 is obviously an extraordinary time but honestly I feel like it's a lot of guys who are competing today who are not that far off, if the track gods see fit for it to happen," Coleman told reporters on Friday ahead of Saturday's Shanghai Diamond League meet.

"But it has to be perfect conditions, on the right day, the right competition and the right venue ... if you're focusing on running properly, like executing a good race, I feel like those type of magical moments happen.

"I feel like it's in my wheelhouse, but I don't try to put too much emphasis or thought on it. I try to just focus on the next practice, the next rep, the next meet and just trying to improve and get better and better and the times will come."

Jamaica's Bolt set his 100m record in Berlin in 2009. American Tyson Gay is the second quickest after Bolt with a time of 9.69 set in Shanghai the same year.

Christian Miller, a 17-year-old from the U.S., ran 9.93 -- the fastest time in the world this year -- at a high school meet in Florida last weekend.

Coleman, a five-times world champion who has a 100m personal best of 9.76 set in 2019, takes on U.S. rival Fred Kerley, silver medallist in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, for the first time this outdoor season at the Shanghai Diamond League meet on Saturday.

"I'm the fittest I've ever been," said Kerley, who clocked his quickest 100m of 9.76 in 2022. "I'm learning how to run the 100 still, me and my coaches are working on the phases of the races instead of just running the race like I always have."

The 28-year-old Coleman raced to gold in the 60m at the world indoor championships earlier this season in Glasgow.

- Reuters 

COLEMAN ROARS TO XIAMEN 100M TITLE

Reuters 

American Christian Coleman powered to victory in the men's 100 metres race at the Xiamen Diamond League as the premier one-day series returned to China for the first time in four years on Saturday after COVID disruptions.

Coleman crossed the line in 9.83 seconds to draw huge roars at the Egret Stadium in Xiamen, which replaced Shenzhen and will continue to host one of the two Diamond League meetings in the Asian nation until 2032.

He was ahead of Jamaican Kishane Thompson who clocked 9.85 seconds for silver. American 2022 world champion Fred Kerley, who failed to qualify for the final at the Budapest world championships last month, took bronze in 9.96 seconds.

Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs has barely raced since his Tokyo Olympics victory and finished seventh.

Coleman led from start to finish to equal Noah Lyles' world-leading time in 2023 and said he was encouraged to respond following his fifth-placed finish at the worlds.

RICHARDSON DOMINATES AND COLEMAN CRUISES IN 100M HEAT AT US CHAMPIONSHIPS

Reuters 

Sha'Carri Richardson kicked off her U.S. championships with the best performance of her career on Thursday by winning the opening 100m heat in a world-leading 10.71 seconds, while Christian Coleman cruised through on the men's side in 9.95.

Fan favourite Richardson had lost her place at the Tokyo Olympics after a positive cannabis test and failed to qualify for last year's world championships but showed she was determined to get it right this time in Eugene, Oregon.

Sha'Carri Richardson kicked off her U.S. championships with the best performance of her career on Thursday by winning the opening 100m heat in a world-leading 10.71 seconds, while Christian Coleman cruised through on the men's side in 9.95.

NOAH LYLES AND CHRISTIAN COLEMAN CLASH IN DRAMATIC RACE AT MILLROSE

CURRENT 100M CHAMP TO MISS-OUT IN TOKYO DUE TO MISSES DRUG TESTS

 

Reigning 100m world champion Christian Coleman is to miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after being banned for two years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

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