Christian Coleman beat Noah Lyles in the world’s fastest time to win the 60m title at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Glasgow, Scotland on Friday.
In a showdown between American teammates, the 27-year-old defeated Lyles with a time of 6.41 seconds to take home the gold medal. Lyles, who specializes in the 200-meter dash, won the silver medal with a time of 6.44 seconds. Coleman quickly built a gap with a blistering start, but the 26-year-old was unable to regain the position in the short race. Jamaica’s Hakeem Blake placed third with a score of 6.46.
It was a redemption victory in some ways for Coleman, but Lyles finished the race looking as tough as ever, with the outdoor season and the Paris Olympics looming on the horizon.
Coleman set the indoor 60m world record in Birmingham, England in 2018 with a historic time of 6.34. Six years later, thanks to a race also held in England, he was back at the top.
But those few milestone years of his career hit a major low point when Coleman was suspended for 18 months for missing three drug tests in a 12-month period. This ban prevented him from competing in the Tokyo Olympics, where Italy’s Lamont Marcel Jacobs shocked fans by winning gold in the 100 meters in 9.80 seconds. The result left many wondering how Coleman, who has a personal best of 9.76 seconds, would have fared on the Olympic stage. Now he’s confident in his odds.
“I had some issues in training even a few weeks ago, but I feel like I’m built for moments like this,” Coleman said after Friday’s win. “I 100% think I’m the best 60-meter runner of all time. But the exciting part is that my ceiling feels much higher.”
Coleman faces tough odds to win the 100-meter dash at the Olympics. That’s because no athlete has ever won the indoor 60m world title and the Olympic 100m title in the same year. It was after losing to Lyles for the 60m indoor world title in February that he claimed to be the king of the event.
Lyles, who came close to missing his first word title in the 60-meter dash on Friday, didn’t seem too concerned about second place.
“What a great indoor season,” he said. “They say I wasn’t a 60-year-old guy, but look at me now. If I beat them in the 60-meter dash, they have no chance outdoors. ”
Lyles came within 0.1 seconds of Colemans’ 2018 world record last month. On Friday, he was aiming to become the first sprinter in 10 years to compile world titles in the 60m, 100m and 200m. In the end, it was Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who won gold in all three events.
For Lyles, he is the first athlete since Usain Bolt to win the 100m and 200m titles at the same world championships, and it would be a great accomplishment to join the long list of athletes. He claimed he earned this honor when he swept the event in Budapest last August. Additionally, he and Bolt are the only three-time world gold medalists in the men’s 200 meters.
What about other Americans?
Indoor shot put world record holder Ryan Crozer won Friday’s indoor event. The former Texas Longhorns standout clocked 74 feet, 81 inches, winning his first indoor world title and setting a championship record in the event. No competitors came within two feet. Krauser is the overwhelming favorite to win his third Olympic gold medal in the men’s shot put at the Paris Games.
Chase Jackson, who also competed in the hardware for Team USA, won a bronze medal in the women’s shot put. Jackson’s collection continues to grow as he has won gold medals at world outdoor events for the past two years. Canadian Sarah Mitton secured victory on Friday with a throw of 20.22 meters.
Jackson said he almost withdrew from the competition after injuring his groin during practice. American high jumper Vashti Cunningham did not compete due to stomach illness.
On Saturday, the second day of the World Indoor Championships, 60m hurdles world record holder Grant Holloway and Olympic gold medalist pole vaulter Katie Moon will be representing the United States. The meeting ends on Sunday.