"Stop playing in my face" - Brittany Brown lashes out at being placed in lane 8 at the Oslo Diamond League raising "equality" concerns for athletes

Brittany Brown pulled off a surprise victory in the 200m at the recently concluded Oslo Diamond League, clocking an impressive season best of 22.32. However, the American wasn't happy with being placed in lane eight while entering the competition and made her feelings about the same clear after her win.

Going into this 200m sprint, fans in Oslo were treated to a packed lineup, with Brown, Shericka Jackson, Daryll Neita, and Marie Jose Ta Lou Smith all set to take to the track at the Bislett Olympic Stadium. Rounding out the entries for the event were Jenna Prandini, Anavia Battle, Maboundou Kone, and Tasa Jiya.

As the sprinters arrived in Oslo, Brittany Brown was placed in lane eight, despite having a higher overall world ranking than Prandini, Battle, Kone, and Jia. However, Brown, the 2019 World Championships silver medalist, isn't ranked in the 200m distance yet this season, with all of her competitors ranked within the top 20.

The American still wasn't impressed with being asked to run in lane eight, and took to X to express her feelings about the same, writing,

“Yall tried me in LA, Then yall tried me here… I’ll go run in a Paul Doyle special before I do that again especially in the 200m. Respectfully, STOP PLAYING IN MY FACE.”

She went on to add that the system wasn't fair and favored European athletes, stating,

“I’m usually all love and light but sometimessssss... Don’t have me come all the way to Europe and put in lane 8 for a 200 talking about “her world rankings is low" A system that’s not EQUITABLE for ALL athletes. A system that works in favor for Euro athletes.”

Despite being placed in lane eight, Brittany Brown had an impressive outing in Oslo, clocking a 22.32 for her first win of the Olympic season. Rounding out the top three behind her were Marie Jose Ta Lou Smith and Darryl Nieta, with Shericka Jackson finishing a disappointing fifth.

Brown had opened her 200m year only a handful of days ago at the LA Grand Prix, finishing third. She then raced her 100m season opener at the Prefontaine Classic, placing a forgettable eight.

When will Brittany Brown compete next?

Fans will get to see Brittany Brown back in action soon enough as the American is scheduled to participate in the Stockholm Diamond League that takes place on June 2nd.

In Sweden, Brown will line up for both the 100m and 200m sprints. The 100m will see her once again take on Marie Jose Ta Lou Smith and Darryl Nieta, while she will have a repeat face-off against Shericka Jackson in the 200m.

The women's 100m sprint at the Stockholm Diamond League is scheduled for 6:15 PM local time, and the 200m race takes place at 7:42 PM. Fans in America excited to see Brittany Brown in action can tune in to NBC Sports for a live stream of the competition.