Christian Coleman blasts to 100m gold at World championship

Christian Coleman stormed to victory in the 100 metres at record speed, at the World Championships in Doha, to become the fastest man on earth.

The 23-year-old American, who escaped a doping ban earlier this month on a technicality, swept over the finish line in a personal best of 9.76 seconds to claim his first major outdoor championship gold medal on Saturday (September 28).

Defending champion Justin Gatlin took the silver in 9.89 sec at the age of 37 while Canada’s Andre De Grasse claimed the bronze in 9.90 sec.

The win completed a flawless championship campaign for Coleman, who had been the only man to duck under 10 seconds in both Friday’s opening rounds and Saturday’s semi-finals at the Khalifa Stadium.

The American let out a roar of triumph as he crossed the line before punching the air in jubilation after a performance which makes him the sixth fastest man in history.
“I am humble, I am just here to win titles. I think the sky’s the limit and I still have a lot of things I can work on and improve,” an elated Coleman said.

The victory was the culmination of a roller-coaster season for Coleman, whose participation in the championships had been in doubt until a few weeks ago due to a drug test which threatened to derail his career.