Trust issues! Those two words sound simple enough, but for Sha’Carri Richardson, they’ve played a huge role in her life. We all know her as the Olympic 100m silver medalist, but did you hear the rumors about her dating Christian Coleman? If they’re a thing, why is she keeping it so private? If you’re in love, why keep it in the shadows? But could it be that there’s more to the story? Well, SCR once opened up about a painful past relationship, where she revealed, “I was in a relationship with a Jamaican athlete that never cared about me from the jump… I was ab*sed.” So, is it any wonder she’d be cautious now?

But here’s the twist: Richardson has been rumored to be dating Coleman since 2023, and it looks like trust is slowly rebuilding between them. So, why the silence until now? Finally, Sha’Carri breaks her silence on her relationship. What’s really going on with her and Christian? She’s dropped some hints over the past few weeks, but now she’s come out and officially said what makes her feel secure in the relationship… be it with Coleman or not!

Richardson gets candid about her relationship

On December 13th, ESSENCE Producer Shari Nycole had a chat with Sha’Carri Richardson. There, when asked who keeps her grounded and reminds her to always be herself, Sha’Carri didn’t hesitate to answer. She said, “I appreciate my relationship, my person that continues on a day-to-day basis, helps me just see who I am, critiques me, and lets me know my rights and my wrongs.” Pretty telling, right?

The support in her relationship is something Sha’Carri really values. Coleman and Richardson, who’ve been rumored to be together for a while, even confirmed their closeness at the USATF Night of Legends Awards when they shared a cozy picture. And to back it up, Sha’Carri shared on Thanksgiving Day that one of the things she’s grateful for this year is Coleman.

Now that they’re officially out in the open, Sha’Carri didn’t hold back when expressing her feelings for Coleman. She posted a picture of him with the caption “Da One,” plus a cheeky emoji. Even back in August, SCR sparked some curiosity when she posted a GIF of red roses and a teddy bear with a gold medal, along with the note, “To the love of my life,” and captioned it with “The Best” and a heart emoji. She also celebrated National Girlfriend Day on August 1st with a post that said “My boo” in bold red text. Sha’Carri is not shy about showing her love!

Sha’Carri Richardson also opened up about her training environment in a recent interview, saying, “I appreciate my training team, like my training environment where I go there and it’s another safe place, and they continue, you know, they see me, but they understand as well, you know, the direction that I want to go in. We all come aboard together, and we make it work.” And here’s the kicker: It is important to note that both Sha’Carri and Christian Coleman are trained by the same trainer, Dennis Mitchell! But now, the big question—how did the rumors about their relationship start?

Sha’Carri Richardson reveals heartbreaking truth about abusive relationship

It all began at the 2023 World Championships held in Budapest. Young Sha’Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman were both having the time of their lives. Sha’Carri earned the 100 meters title and the 4×100 meters relay gold, while Coleman did the same in the men’s relay. However, the focus that people gave the most attention to was what happened not for the victory but after Sha’Carri’s race. Therefore, Christian hugged her so tightly. Instead of stretching out her hand to meet his, she threw herself most literally into his arms and tumbled to the ground!

But then earlier in 2024, while Sha’Carri wasn’t running at the Millrose Games, she was there in the audience clapping wildly for Coleman for winning the 60m. Everybody could not fail to see this joyous woman, and of course, the rumors took another notch up. Some of those who watched her greatly saw her as being only supportive to her companion, while others saw it differently. Then, when they both began promoting this on social media, things became rather more intriguing. In late March, to celebrate Coleman’s birthday, Sha’Carri wrote and probably posted on Instagram about her man as an “icon” and “legend.”

Just before that, Coleman had posted about Sha’Carri on her birthday, calling her the GOAT and complimenting her cool vibe. Their interactions on social media were giving fans even more to talk about. If the rumors are true, it’s really great to see Sha’Carri happy, especially after everything she went through in her past relationship.

In 2022, Sha’Carri Richardson opened up about the abusive relationship she had with Jamaican athlete Janeek Brown. Richardson shared on Instagram that she had been ab*sed during their relationship, alleging that Brown not only mistreated her physically but also stole from her. Despite the ab*se, Richardson said she had protected Brown from judgment, even though her family had ridiculed her for it. In her post, she explained how she had faced homophobia and numerous challenges, still working through the emotional toll. “I was abusive once that there’s physical evidence of,” Brown said. “And we moved on, and even after then I was trying to move on from that; we still got nowhere.”

In an interview, Brown admitted to the ab*se, confirming everything Richardson had said but suggested Richardson’s actions had been driven by a desire for attention. She even suggested that Richardson should file charges if she felt the need to. Brown, appearing irritated by the line of questioning, said she had been going through personal struggles at the time and was now focusing on finding herself. “Yeah, I was going through something—I was finding myself; that’s why I am coming to social media, you feel me?.”

Looking back, it seemed clear that the separation was the best decision for both of them. While it’s unfortunate the relationship ended in such a way, we truly hope Sha’Carri and Christian Coleman find peace and happiness as they move forward in their lives, putting the past behind them and focusing on their futures.