The reigning US 4x400relay champion gave the details of her exclusion to ESPN. According to Ellis, the process included an initial communication from relay coach US Mechelle Freeman, who informed her via text message that she would not be running in the final.

Upon receiving this, Ellis requested a face-to-face meeting where Freeman expressed concern about her results. The runner offered explanations, and the relay coach replied that she felt she was ready and would put her in the relay for the third leg.

So, Kendall went to the race and as she was warming up, four minutes before the start of the race, another coach told her he was sorry she had not been allowed to run. She relayed the comment to her coach, who called the relay specialist, who confirmed that she would definitely not be competing in the final.

"I was told something this morning and for hours I thought I was going to run in the final. It seems like everyone knew but me," she lamented to ESPN.

She now feels "disappointed, betrayed and embarrassed", as well as not valued or respected as a member of the team, and is calling for improvements in transparency and communication as she considers what decisions to make about her future. USA Track and Field did not respond to a request for comment.

Born in 1996, this was Ellis' second Olympic Games, after Tokyo, where she won two medals, a gold in the women's 4x400 relay and a gold in the women's 4x400 relay, where she won two medals, a gold in the women's 4x400 relay and a bronze in the mixed 4x400 relay.