Uganda: Richardson to Seek Help Following Airport Arrest
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson says she will seek help following her arrest over allegations of domestic violence.
The 25-year-old was detained on July 27 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport following an altercation with boyfriend and fellow US athlete Christian Coleman.
A police report said footage appeared to show Coleman being shoved into a wall, before Richardson threw an item at him.
Commenting on her arrest for the first time in a social media post, the Olympic gold and silver medallist said: “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.”
Coleman did not want to participate in the investigation and “declined to be a victim”, the police officer’s report stated.
Richardson was released the following day.
Richardson apologised to Coleman, saying: “I love him and to him I can’t apologise enough”.
When the footage of the incident became public Coleman described Richardson as “a human being, and a great person”.
He told the Athletic: “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.”
Following her arrest, USA Track and Field said it was “aware of the reports” but would “not be commenting on this matter”.
Richardson won silver in the 100m at the Paris Olympics and gold as part of the USA’s 4x100m relay team.
She is also due to defend her 100m and 4x100m relay titles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, which starts on 13 September.
