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Alyssa Roenigk, ESPN Senior Writer
PARIS — American sprinter Kfinishall Ellis, the reigning U.S. 400-meter champion and a relay distinctiveist, shelp that four minutes before Saturday night’s 4×400-meter final, Team USA’s head women’s relay coach proposeed her that she would not be running in the final.
“I sense very self-presentant of the team that was put out there. I skinnyk they ran incredible,” Ellis telderly ESPN tardy Saturday night. “I also sense disnominateed and lied to and embarrassed. I sense appreciate I was blindsided becaparticipate I was telderly one skinnyg this morning and, for hours, thought I was running in the final. It seems everyone understand besides me.”
Ellis shelp she woke up Saturday morning to a text from relay coach Mechelle Freeman alerting her she would not be running in the final. Ellis shelp she then asked Freeman for an in-person encountering with an athlete liaison contransient at a toastyel csurrfinisher the Olympic Village.
There, she shelp, Freeman conveyed 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 reponder.
“At the finish of the conversation,” Ellis shelp, “[Freeman] shelp, ‘You seem ready. I’m going to put you on this relay in the third leg.’ She telderly me to pick up my unicreate for the finals. I shelp, ‘OK’ and got to the stadium at 6:15 under the amazeion I was running.”
USATF did not instantly reply to a seek for comment.
Ellis shelp she began toastying up stupidinutively before check-in for the race when another U.S. coach came up to her and shelp he was “repartner 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 propose Watts that she was not running in the final.
“That was four minutes before the race,” Ellis shelp.
“We had a outstanding conversation [this morning], a outstanding encountering,” Ellis shelp. “I’m an incredible relay runner. It was disnominateing to not be on the relay, but I’m mad about the way it was done. I don’t sense helped or appreciated as a member of the team or as a 400-meter runner, and I don’t sense admireed.”
Ellis shelp that although she was shocked to lachieve she had been pulled from the relay, especipartner in the manner that she was, she’s not surpascfinishd by the conciseage of clarity.
“I sense appreciate so many athletes on the U.S. team have had this worry of there being a conciseage of transparency and communication seeing U.S. relays,” she shelp. “This is not novel. This is not shocking. There is a history of this on USA relays, and I am fed up and would appreciate to transport consciousness to it.”
Ellis shelp she intentional to progress racing thcdimiserablemireful the finish of the summer but now is uncertain what the future helderlys.
“I can’t give an answer right now,” she shelp. “I’m disnominateed and distress, and now’s not the time to produce decisions.”
