Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2025 campaign has played out more like a tabloid headline than a smooth path to Tokyo. The reigning world champion’s season, which began with a sluggish return in Tokyo and took a sharp turn following her arrest at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is now filled with more questions than answers. At the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, many expected the meet to be a return to form, a rebuttal to doubters, and a reminder of her championship pedigree. But instead of a revival, Richardson’s run in the women’s 200m semifinal added another sharp angle to an already jagged season.
In her first 200m outing of the year, Richardson clocked 22.56 seconds with a slight wind of +0.1 m/s. She placed fourth in her heat, behind McKenzie Long (22.12), Tamari Davis (22.33), and Brittany Brown (22.32). Her time was enough to briefly hold the fifth-fastest overall mark and the second non-automatic qualifying slot, but the advantage was short-lived. In the third semifinal heat, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden surged to a heat-winning 22.06. Gabby Thomas followed in 22.19, with Kayla White (22.23) and Anavia Battle (22.26) rounding out the top four. Richardson’s 22.56 ultimately failed to place her among the top eight advancing to the final. Her name was absent from a list that included Jefferson-Wooden, Long, Thomas, White, Battle, Brown, Deajah Stevens (22.37), and Madison Whyte (22.55).
The disappointment at Hayward Field added further weight to a week already marred by controversy. On July 27, just days before the Championships began, Richardson was arrested at Seattle airport following a reported altercation with Christian Coleman. Authorities charged her with fourth-degree domestic violence assault. However, Coleman declined to pursue charges, and the matter did not proceed in court. Despite the timing of the incident, Richardson remained eligible to compete at the Championships and retain her automatic berth in the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
Sha’Carri Richardson fails to advance to the 200m final.
She will only be running the 100m at the World Championships in Tokyo in September: https://t.co/YXg4A4Afqw
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) August 3, 2025
In Eugene, Richardson had opened her campaign in the 100m prelims with a controlled 11.07. But with her world champion bye already in hand, she opted out of the semifinal round and later withdrew from the 200m final contention after her semifinal exit. The strategic choice to test her form in the 200m, though understandable given her limited race schedule, produced neither a season’s best nor a statement of readiness.
Now, the spotlight shifts to Tokyo. Richardson will enter as the reigning world champion in the 100m, yet her buildup has been fragmented and subdued. Whether the pieces come together on the global stage remains the biggest unknown of her turbulent season. However, despite the stressful season and multiple setbacks on her professional and personal fronts, Sha’Carri Richardson is holding tight and is working towards having a great run in Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos.
Sha’Carri Richardson takes control of track’s future with bold Athlos ownership move.
Sha’Carri Richardson is not waiting for the sport to catch up. Amid a season marked by legal issues and performance inconsistencies, she is asserting control in a space often dictated by others. Her alignment with Athlos, not merely as a participant but as an adviser-owner, signals a calculated move into the structural core of track and field’s future. The league, conceived by Alexis Ohanian and shaped in consultation with athletes themselves, is positioned to redefine how power operates in the sport. For Richardson, this is not a retreat from competition but is a parallel track with equal stakes.
Source: Twitter
“I take pride in doing what is right for people,” she told ESPN. “Joining ATHLOS as an advisor-owner allows me to create something that genuinely empowers people both on and off the track.” Sha’Carri’s statement carries the tone of someone who knows precisely how rare that kind of agency is in a system built to commodify athletes rather than consult them. Alongside Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall, who described the trio’s role as akin to “de facto captains,” Richardson is now in a position to influence not just the events but the ecosystem surrounding them: sponsorships, visibility, meet structures, and standards of representation.
Richardson’s commitment to Athlos emerges at a time when her racing calendar has raised more questions than answers. Yet, her presence in this enterprise is not reactive. It is deliberate. While others speculate on her next race, she is already designing the conditions under which the next generation will compete. But now, before anything else, track enthusiasts can’t wait to witness her run in the 100m dash in Tokyo.
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