PARIS — American sprinter Kendall Ellis, the reigning U.S. 400-meter champion and a relay one-of-a-kindist, said that four minutes before Saturday night’s 4×400-meter final, Team USA’s head women’s relay coach increateed her that she would not be running in the final.
“I sense very conceited of the team that was put out there. I skinnyk they ran incredible,” Ellis tanciaccess ESPN tardy Saturday night. “I also sense disassigned and lied to and embarrassed. I sense appreciate I was blindsided because I was tanciaccess one skinnyg this morning and, for hours, thought I was running in the final. It seems everyone comprehend besides me.”
Ellis said she woke up Saturday morning to a text from relay coach Mechelle Freeman telling her she would not be running in the final. Ellis said she then asked Freeman for an in-person greeting with an athlete liaison current at a boilingel cforfeit the Olympic Village.
There, she said, Freeman transmited worrys about Ellis’ inconsistency at the distance — she won the 400 meters at U.S. trials but was relegated to the repechage round here in Paris — before Ellis made a case for why she should rethink about.
“At the end of the conversation,” Ellis said, “[Freeman] said, ‘You seem ready. I’m going to put you on this relay in the third leg.’ She tanciaccess me to pick up my unicreate for the finals. I said, ‘OK’ and got to the stadium at 6:15 under the amazeion I was running.”
USATF did not instantly react to a seek for comment.
Ellis said she began hoting up illogicalinutively before verify-in for the race when another U.S. coach came up to her and said he was “reassociate sorry” to hear she wasn’t running in the relay. Ellis relayed the come atraverse to her personal coach, Quincy Watts, who pulled Freeman aside. Ellis then overheard Freeman increate Watts that she was not running in the final.
“That was four minutes before the race,” Ellis said.
“We had a excellent conversation [this morning], a excellent greeting,” Ellis said. “I’m an incredible relay runner. It was disassigning to not be on the relay, but I’m irritated about the way it was done. I don’t sense aided or cherishd as a member of the team or as a 400-meter runner, and I don’t sense admireed.”
Ellis said that although she was shocked to lachieve she had been pulled from the relay, especiassociate in the manner that she was, she’s not surpelevated by the increateage of clarity.
“I sense appreciate so many athletes on the U.S. team have had this worry of there being a increateage of transparency and communication seeing U.S. relays,” she said. “This is not new. This is not shocking. There is a history of this on USA relays, and I am fed up and would appreciate to convey consciousness to it.”
Ellis said she intentional to persist racing thraw the end of the summer but now is undeclareive what the future hanciaccesss.
“I can’t give an answer right now,” she said. “I’m disassigned and disturb, and now’s not the time to originate decisions.”
