American sprinter Christian Coleman on Saturday night silenced his critics with a sublime performance that got him the world’s leading time this season.
The 23-year-old Atlanta-born clocked the sixth fastest time ever to become the 2019 World Champion in a time of 9.76 seconds in an air-conditioned Khalifa International Stadium.
Only Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay have run faster than Coleman in the history of IAAF World Athletics Championships. At Berlin 2009 championships, Bolt clocked the world record time of 9.58 seconds ahead of the fastest loser Gay who posted 9.71.
On a cool evening in Doha, Coleman produced an explosive start and once he passed the 30-meter mark, there was no stopping the American who beat 2017 World Champion Justin Gatlin (9.89secs) and Andre De Grasse (9.90secs) to the finish.
“To add my name to the list of the legendary guys who’ve come before me is an honour and a blessing. It’s a great feeling, too good to be true. To make it here and come out with gold is incredible,” Coleman said after the race.
“From the start (of the race), I got up on top of everybody. I knew that if I was being patient, the end would take care of itself,” he added.
Coleman arrived in Doha on the back of a major concern about his whereabouts between June 6, 2018 and April 26, 2019, having missed three doping tests over a period of 12 months. According to rules, three missed tests within a year can bring about an anti-doping violation.
The American dismissed all the media concern showing him in bad light and raced to a win that probably saw that last of Gatlin at the worlds.
“Justin Gatlin is a great guy and a great competitor. He’s always been there. I remember watching him back in 2004 when I was eight years old and to think all these years later I could come and win gold too is a great feeling,” Coleman said.
“At the end all my worries just evaporated out there. It was a crazy feeling. Last time it was a surprise when I won silver but this time there was a lot of pressure, but I managed to come out with gold,” he added.
“I’ve just got to continue doing my job and more and more people will see the beauty in the sport that I see,” Coleman said.
Gatlin, who won the 2017 worlds ahead of Coleman and Bolt in London, said he will be back next year.
“Christian has had a spectacular season and I knew he’d be tough to beat. He ran a great race, but I have a message for next year – I’m coming,” Gatlin said. “He’d better be ready. To get another world medal feels amazing. This season has had a lot of ups and downs. But running this time this late in the season makes me excited for next year,” the 37-year-old added.
Canada’s De Grasse was pleased to be on the podium, posting a personal best.
“I am grateful to get myself back on the podium. I thought I could do a little bit better, but I can’t dwell too much as I have to get ready for the 200m tomorrow,” De Grasse said.
“A lot of us (Canadians) have a chance to medal here, definitely Aaron (Brown) in the 200m, Alysha (Newman) in the Pole Vault and Damian Warner in the decathlon. In the last couple of years, I have been trying to keep my mind positive and telling myself that I can come back and be back where I was and even better.
“Definitely today was a good sign. I had a personal best. I will take it and I am sure it will be a great year for me in the 100m,” he added.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who was placed fourth, said: “It is always a blessing to represent your country at the world stage. We will come back stronger and fight harder to get on the podium.”
He added: “Today, we showed that we can represent South Africa well on the international stage. It’s great to be able to be in a position to inspire the kids and the upcoming generations to keep believing that no matter where you are from or what the circumstances are, you can become greater.”
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