Christian Coleman, Sha'Carri Richardson Among 5 Biggest Losers From 2025 USATF Championships

Christian Coleman and Sha'Carri Richardson are among the biggest dissapointments from the 2025 USATF World Athletics Championships trials.

The 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene delivered electrifying performances—but also crushing disappointments for several big names in American track and field. 

 While some athletes celebrated sealing top-three places in various categories and securing their spots for the Tokyo World Championships in September, others fell short and will feel they should have done better. 

Here, Pulse Sports profiles five most notable athletes who fell short of expectations:

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Trayvon Bromell

When Trayvon Bromell took his place on lane eight before the 100 meter dash, many were expecting him to make the team for Tokyo given the way he had been running all season.

After all, this is a man that in June, had set a world leading 9.84 in Rome, before running another brilliant 9.94 run at the Prefontaine Classic at the very same venue.

So for him to miss out by finishing fifth, it must have been hard to take, considering he has had to battle through adversity to return to peak condition.

Bromell finished fourth on 9.85 seconds, with Kenny Bednarek finishing first on 9,79 seconds. Courtney Lindsey came second on 9.82 seconds, while little-known T'Mars McCallum - 9.83 finished third, frustrating Bromell to a fourth place spot. 

The 2015 World bronze medalist in the same event will be hoping to make the relay team following his disappointment.

Christian Coleman

Not many were surprised to see Christian Coleman miss out considering the 2019 World Champion has been struggling a lot in 2025, struggling to clock sub ten races.

Coleman's fifth place finish was actually commendable considering he still managed to clock a season-best 9.86 seconds. 

He is also another that will be hoping he can compensate for his failure to qualify by making the relay team, which will certainly be pretty much a consolation prize for him. 

Sha’Carri Richardson 

Though already qualified for the 100m in Tokyo as the defending world champion, Sha’Carri Richardson was aiming to double up by making the 200m team. That bid ended early when she finished fourth in her heat, failing to advance.

The setback capped a turbulent week for the 2024 Olympic silver medalist, who was arrested just days earlier over a domestic violence incident involving teammate and partner Christian Coleman at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 

Richardson was accused of shoving Coleman and throwing an item at him.

Once hailed as Gabby Thomas’ unexpected rival after a shocking win at the 2024 ATHLOS meet, Brittany Brown couldn’t replicate that form in Eugene.

 In a competitive 200m final, she was edged out by Thomas, who took third with 22.20 seconds.

Brown, returning from endometriosis surgery in late 2024, ran admirably but couldn’t find that extra gear. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won in 21.84 seconds, while Brown’s medal dreams ended in heartbreak.

 Athing Mu-Nikolayev 

After a long injury battle following the 2024 Olympic trials, Athing Mu-Nikolayev was hoping to reclaim her spot atop the 800m ranks.

 The 2021 Olympic champion looked solid in the heats but failed to qualify for the final, finishing 10th overall despite running a season-best 1:59.79.

It’s another frustrating setback for the 23-year-old middle-distance star, whose once-meteoric rise has been slowed by repeated injury concerns.

While the USATF Championships saw new stars emerge, they also exposed vulnerabilities in some of America’s top athletes. Whether it’s injury, inconsistency, or off-track issues, these five athletes will be hoping for redemption—either through relay selections or future seasons.