Sha’Carri Richardson is preparing to defend her 100m world title in Tokyo next month, but first, she’s due in court.
The 25-year-old sprint star, who anchored the U.S. women’s 4x100m team to gold at the Paris Olympics last year, is facing a fourth-degree domestic assault charge stemming from an altercation with fellow Olympian Christian Coleman at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on July 27.
A court spokesperson confirmed that Richardson pleaded not guilty during her arraignment the next day, but no trial date has been set.
Negotiations between her attorney and prosecutors are ongoing, and she is scheduled to appear, or have her attorney appear on her behalf, at SeaTac Municipal Court on Tuesday, September 2.
The incident occurred just days before the U.S. national championships. A bystander video appears to show Richardson repeatedly shoving Coleman and throwing a pair of headphones at him inside the airport terminal. Coleman reportedly declined to press charges, but Richardson was arrested and spent the night in custody at the SCORE South Correctional Facility in Des Moines, Washington.
Richardson has not commented publicly beyond an apology posted to her Instagram stories on August 12, where she addressed Coleman directly.
“I apologize to Christian,” she wrote. “He came into my life & gave me more than a relationship but a greater understanding of unconditional love… Due to my past trauma & pain, I was blind & blocked off to not only receive it but give it. I love him & to him I can’t apologize enough.”
Coleman, for his part, defended Richardson when asked about the situation during nationals in Eugene, where she competed in the 200m but failed to make it out of the opening round. “She’s a human being and a great person,” he told reporters. “She’s got a lot going on, and I don’t think she should have been arrested.”
Fourth-degree assault is the lowest-level assault charge in Washington state. While it carries a potential sentence of up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine, it’s typically resolved through plea deals, diversion programs, or lesser penalties, particularly in cases where the alleged victim is not pressing charges and no serious physical harm occurred.
Still, the charge looms over Richardson’s buildup to the World Athletics Championships, where she enters as one of Team USA’s biggest names.
After winning double gold in the 100m and 4x100m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, she claimed silver in the individual 100m in Paris and returned to anchor the U.S. women’s relay team to Olympic gold.
She has a bye to compete in the 100m in Tokyo thanks to her world title, and is expected to race the opening round on September 13.
Her attorney, Michele Shaw, did not respond to a request for comment from LetsRun.com earlier this week.
