“I think Coleman is cooked.” “Is the king of speed slipping?” Comments and speculations like these have flooded the internet ever since Christian Coleman’s season has gotten off to a poor start, unlike what most had expected. On the other hand, Sha’Carri Richardson has just run one race, but her form in 2025 appeared oddly poor, too. Still, when given a platform, she urged recognition for her man and not herself. Yes, Richardson has not just demanded that Coleman be given the spotlight; she’s even thrown a jab at some of the others in the business…

Imagine this: you’re a top-class sprinter and a reigning world record holder in the 60m. Yet you run 6 on-the-trot individual races in a season and don’t end up first in a single one! Let alone first, you don’t even bag silver in one! That’s been Christian Coleman’s disappointing track record so far, wherein he has just ended up on the podium in 2 of his 6 solo races. This naturally has placed him in the line of fire online, with a lot of backlash coming in over his poor form. But Sha’Carri Richardson just decided, not anymore, as she issued a bold message to defend him in a recent interview.

Yes, on June 12, USA Today published an interview with Sha’Carri Richardson where she’s breaking her silence on the Coleman backlash for the first time. When asked, “Who is a fellow athlete that deserves more recognition?” Richardson was quick to name her beau, Christian Coleman. She swiftly answered back, “I would say Christian Coleman…” Interestingly, she also provided a reason for the same that goes, “And I would say Christian Coleman, due to the fact that he has shown up and done things that other male U.S. track and field athletes have not been able to do in such a long time….”

Sha’Carri Richardson painted the picture of all that Coleman’s been doing. Clearly, it’s not just her love, but she feels he truly deserves to be credited. She said, “He continues to show up and represent himself, Team USA, Nike…” But representation isn’t all. She even added, “As well as his just journey of always persevering and being known as the best … but not even just the best starter, but also showing a level of commitment to track and field that is missed by a lot of individuals that are quote unquote in the sport right now….”

If we look at this season, for example, Christian Coleman may have fallen short of expectations, but he did not stop. He started the year with a third-place finish in the 100m at the Tom Jones Memorial. But some of his most disastrous losses came at the Xiamen and Shanghai Diamond Leagues, where he missed the 100m podiums entirely. Still, he made a comeback at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, where Sha’Carri Richardson was seen lifting his spirits after his 100m run, while Coleman’s body language appeared quite shaken after the recurrent losses. Yet he showed up at the Grand Slam Track, showing that he’s a master who never gives up.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s boyfriend knows how to stand back up after falls

For those who don’t remember Christian Coleman’s past, here’s a little reminder. Back in 2022, Christian Coleman made a comeback after an 18-month ban due to a whereabouts failure. He missed three anti-doping tests in a row that saw him get this suspension. Given this, he had to miss the all-important Tokyo 2021 Olympics. But that didn’t really break him.

Coleman made a silver winning comeback in 2022, in a 300m race. He even faced a crushing upset last year when the former world 100m champion Christian Coleman finished fourth in both 100m and 200m at the trials, meaning he missed the Olympics for a second straight edition. But as Sha’Carri Richardson said, he perseveres, and never gives up.

So, even this year, he’s still hopeful. After his first 200m race of the year went down at GST Philly, Sha’Carri Richardson’s boyfriend said, “It’s coming along, like it’s right there. A little frustrating like you said talk to you well what I said in Tokyo, just because I know what I am capable of and it’s right there…” He sounded positive that breaking bad old habits, getting in the reps, and just staying at it would help him get the results. Well, what do you think so? Will his form require more than that to be fixed? Or is he on the right track?