Coleman is fastest man on earth

American Christian Coleman who was under a bit of a cloud before the IAAF World Championships after he missed three anti-doping tests, silenced his critics with sixth fastest time ever to win the 100m dash at the Khalifa Stadium yesterday.

The 23-year-old won in 9.76secs, the fastest time of the year while Justin Gatlin (9.89) and Andre De Grasse (9.90) all clocked sub-10 to click the second and third place respectively.

All three of them clocked 9.90 and under. These were quick times - although it didn’t have the pop and the sizzle that you normally have, that’s a result of the post-Bolt era.

The start from Christian Coleman was so impressive and there was no eating into the lead as he opened up. Not once did he fade or look like he may be sucked back in.

He was dynamite out of the blocks, building a lead of a yard by 40m. The spectators saw in the heats what he could do and he certainly delivered in the final. Coleman just ran away with it leaving the second and third-placed medals up for grabs.

There was no catching with the leader. Coleman crossed the line, looked to the sky and simply roared.

“I’ve been blessed with incredible talent and tonight I was able to show it. Being able to come and compete here and run in this race is a dream. I’ve been working incredibly hard and this just makes it all worthwhile. I

usually have a good start but I don’t follow it up with execution, so I’ve been working on my drive phase and being patient. Tonight it all paid off,” Coleman said after the race.

“At the end all my worries just evaporated out here. It was a crazy feeling. To add my name to the list of the legendary guys who have come before me is an honour and a blessing,” he added.

Gatlin was also a sharp starter, quickly establishing himself in second place, wining a silver medal at the age of 37 but can’t hang on to the gold he won in 2017 adding to his formidable medal haul.

“This season is a testament to my endurance and will power because I have had so many knick knacks. Even in warm-up, I was feeling my knee niggling. But I managed to get out and run 9.89 and get a silver,” said Gatlin.

DeGrasse, who ran supremely well over the second half to reel in Akani Simbine underscoring his long return from a horrific injury picked up after the Rio Olympics.
Jamaican Yohan Blake came in fifth at 9.97.

The start of the race saw an incredible light show by way of build up, with the faces of the finalists being projected onto the track and their names spinning around the Khalifa International Stadium..

Coleman who  courted controversy after he did not updated his ‘whereabouts’ information and later explained where he was thus silenced his critics with his exploits on the track.

Earlier, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce clocked the top time ever in a heat of the women’s 100 meters yesterday.

Fraser-Pryce cruised home in 10.80 seconds, the fastest time ever in a women’s 100m heat at the world championships not including the semi-finals.

The controlled effort delivered a clear warning to other gold medal hopefuls as the 32-year-old bids to become the first man or woman to win four 100m world titles.

Fraser-Pryce, who only returned to the track in earnest last year after giving birth to a son, will be joined in the semi-finals by compatriot Elaine Thompson.

The Olympic 100m champion’s effort was not nearly as impressive as her team mate’s but she easily won her heat in a time of 11.14.

Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, world silver medallist at 100m and 200m in London two years ago, also turned in a sizzling result with a personal best for the second best time of 10.85.

Dina Asher-Smith also dipped under 11 seconds with 10.96, taking a first step toward becoming the first British woman to reach a world championship 100m final.

Earlier, Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands, conserving as much energy as possible until the last lap and pressed the accelerator when it was needed most, won  win the 10,000 metres final.

The Dutchwoman overtook Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey just before the bell and powered away over the last lap to win in a season’s best time of 30 minutes 17.63 seconds. Gidey was second and Kenya’s Agnes Tirop third.