American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson failed to qualify for the 200m at the World Championships in September, missing the final qualifying spot by one-hundredth of a second. The 25-year-old, who is the defending world champion in the 100m and has an automatic berth in that event, finished fourth in her heat at the US National Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with a time of 22.56 seconds.
Madison Whyte secured the final qualifying spot with a time of 22.55 seconds. The result comes just over a week after Richardson was arrested on an alleged domestic violence charge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on 27 July, following an altercation with her boyfriend, sprinter Christian Coleman.
According to a police report, Coleman “did not want to participate any further in the investigation and declined to be a victim”. Richardson was detained overnight and released the following Monday. She ran in the opening round of the 100m at the championships but withdrew from the semi-finals.
Coleman, who competed in the 100m and 200m, finishing fifth and sixth respectively, defended Richardson, telling reporters: “I don't feel like she should have been arrested. She's a human being and a great person. She's going to bounce back because she's the best female athlete in the world.” Richardson did not respond to reporters' questions after her 200m heat.
USA Track and Field declined to comment on the arrest. Meanwhile, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won both the women's 100m and 200m titles in Eugene.
