Olympic Gold Medalist Sha'Carri Richardson Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

American track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson, an Olympic gold medalist, is facing criminal charges after she was arrested in Washington state.

Richardson was arrested last Sunday and charged with domestic violence following an altercation with her boyfriend at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, USA Today reported.

The arrest and criminal charge are just the latest career blemish for the world champion sprinter.

She was infamously disqualified from competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, which she was heavily favored to win, after she tested positive for marijuana use.

The Associated Press reported that, according to a copy of the police report, the 25-year-old track star Richardson was arrested Sunday evening at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and spent the night at the South Correctional Entity in Des Moines, Washington.

She was eventually released shortly after noon on Monday.

Per the report, a Transportation Security Administration supervisor notified local police of the situation.

They witnessed Richardson in a prolonged verbal and physical altercation with her boyfriend, fellow sprinter Christian Coleman.

The altercation broke out after they passed through a TSA checkpoint.

A responding officer reviewed surveillance camera footage and similarly observed Richardson making repeated physical contact with Coleman.

The contact included yanking his backpack and shoving him into a nearby column.

She is said to have continued to make physical contact with Coleman and get in his way even as he repeatedly attempted to walk around and away from her.

Richardson also reportedly threw a set of headphones at Coleman.

Coleman later told officers that he “did not want to participate any further in the investigation and declined to be a victim.”

In response to questions about the arrest, the USA Track and Field organization said that it “is aware of the reports and is not commenting on this matter.”

Richardson’s arrest for domestic violence last Sunday did not stop her from competing this week at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, according to AFP.

The 100m world champion was on the track on Thursday for preliminary heat races and advanced to the semifinals round on Friday.

However, she later withdrew from contention for the finals.

She remains automatically qualified for the upcoming World Championship event in September in Japan, however, given her status as the current defending world champ.

USATF said that Richardson still intends to compete in Sunday’s 200m event, though, after initially withdrawing from and then reentering that race.

USA Today noted that Richardson, after missing the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games because of a positive marijuana test, returned to the world stage with a vengeance and something to prove in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

During the Games, she earned a silver medal in the 100m along with a gold medal as part of Team USA’s 4x100m relay squad.

According to the AP, she also won the 100m event at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.