Splinter’s antihero has his magic back. On a raucous night in Glasgow’s east end, Christian Coleman used stunning acceleration and controlled aggression to win the world indoor 60m title.
The matchup against his great American counterpart Noah Lyles came down to a simple equation. Will 60m world record holder Coleman end the race early after his firecracker start? Or, can Lyles, the reigning 100m and 200m world champion, stay within striking distance and beat him in the dying seconds?
Exactly 6.41 seconds later, we got our answer: Coleman. The 27-year-old never seemed to relinquish his lead when serving, en route to the gold medal. Lyles finished with a silver medal in 6.44 and Ackeem Blake won bronze in 6.46.
“Even a few weeks ago, I had some hiccups in training, but I feel like I was born for these moments,” Coleman said afterward. “I think I’m the greatest 6,000-meter runner of all time, 100 percent. But the exciting thing is, I feel like my ceiling is much higher.”
When asked about his secret to getting off to a fast start, Coleman responded: “You have to put in those 10,000 hours. Do the reps over and over again.” I put in a lot of work in the weight room and in the video room. I don’t know what the secret is, you’ll have to ask God. “
This was not the outcome that the athletics community wanted, as Coleman had previously been banned for 18 months after failing to do so three times in 12 months. The American was not a natural performer either, but he later insisted that he was a very different person away from the spotlight. And, he insists, he is a very different person after missing the Tokyo Olympics by missing tests.
“Everything happens for a reason, and I feel like God is always with me,” he said. “I’m more excited about being in my prime and having the opportunities in front of me.”
Lyles wasn’t too disappointed with the silver medal, as he was better in the long distance and had just run the second-fastest time of his life.
“Oh my gosh, it’s been an amazing indoor season,” he said. “They say I’m not 60 years old, but look at me now. If I beat these guys in the 60m, they really don’t have a chance outdoors.”
He insists that despite the result, he has no fear of Coleman when they compete again at this summer’s Olympics. “I’m never afraid,” he said. “I’m always excited. I’ve improved the worst part of the race significantly and I’m getting ready to go home and apply that to the 100m and 200m races.”
Elsewhere, on the first night of the World Indoor Championships, Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers won the high jump title with a clearance of 1.99 metres.
That proved enough to beat reigning world champion and pre-race favorite Yaroslava Mahhuchikh to claim silver, with Britain’s Morgan Lake finishing sixth on 1.92m.
“It never really went as planned from the beginning,” Lake said. “When you miss the opening height, you’re always going to be at a disadvantage.”
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There was better news for Team GB in the women’s 1500m, with Georgia Bell and Revée Walcott-Nolan comfortably qualifying for tomorrow’s 1500m on Sunday finals.
Bell, 30, who combines training with a full-time job in cybersecurity, performed well in qualifying with a time of 4:04:39. But she later admitted she had worried her bosses when she said in a midweek interview that she might quit her job to focus on the Paris Olympics. “I get a lot of work emails asking, ‘What’s going on? Is there anything you want to tell us?'” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh no, everything’s fine.’ But they were really supportive.”
Bell, a talented junior who only started running again during lockdown, added: “I’ve had a lot of great messages saying ‘you inspired me to get back into parkrunning.'”
Meanwhile, GB athletes are hoping to have a “super Saturday” at these championships with three potential medal chances. Olympic 1500m silver medalist Laura Muir competed in the 3,000m final, followed by world 1500m champion Josh Kerr in the men’s final at the same distance. Contest. Another Briton, Molly Caudrey, leads the world in the pole vault.
