Christian Coleman: The Rise, Fall and Future of America’s Forgotten Sprint Star
Christian Coleman: The Rise and Fall of an American Sprint Star
Christian Coleman looked to be the man to take Usain Bolt’s sprint crown. He went from college world leads and NCAA titles to beating Bolt and winning the 100m world title in just 9.76 seconds.
However, a run of missed drug tests and an 18-month ban wiped out his Olympic dreams…
Christian Coleman was America’s next great sprint star. Image credits: VCG via CGTN
So, what happened to Christian Coleman, and why didn’t he become the face of US track and field? To answer, we look back at where his journey began and how his career unfolded.
From College Star to Global Prospect
At age 21, Christian Coleman broke a six-year collegiate 100m record with 9.82 seconds at the 2017 NCAA outdoor championships, the fourth-fastest time ever by an American at the time.
It was his breakthrough year. That 9.82 was so quick that it was the fastest legal time run by anyone in 2017. Coleman added to his 100m triumph by also winning the 200m, completing a dominant sprint double.
He was widely regarded as the new Usain Bolt, and this double pushed his name into conversations about the future of US sprinting.
Coleman vs Bolt: Who Won?
Still a college student, Coleman stepped onto the world stage at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, which was set to be Bolt’s final appearance at a major championship.
When they met in the semi-final, Coleman burst out of the blocks to clock the fastest time of the round in 9.97 seconds. Bolt stumbled, but finished fast, in 9.98 seconds.
The final had been set up perfectly, with Bolt’s long-time rivals Yohan Blake and Justin Gatlin lining up alongside them. Coleman had the world lead, Bolt held the world record, Blake had the second-fastest times ever in the 100m and 200m, and Gatlin was the 2017 American champion and former world champion.
When the gun went, once again, Coleman exploded out of the blocks and held the lead for almost the entire race.
World champion at just 21 years old? Only Yohan Blake had achieved that feat, and if Coleman had won, he would have become the youngest 100m world champion ever, 93 days younger than Blake was when he won in 2011.
However, his compatriot Justin Gatlin nicked it in the closing metres, as Coleman dipped across the line in second. Coleman had beaten the great Usain Bolt twice in one day. He arrived on the global stage in style.
Indoor King and Global Champion
The 2018 season brought Coleman’s first world title, as he broke the 60m world record and dominated the indoor circuit before winning the Diamond League final outdoors.
Heading into the 2019 World Championships in Doha, he had set the fastest time that year and was the clear man to beat. But no one could beat him: he ran the fastest time in the heats, semi-final and final.
His 9.76 seconds in the final made him the sixth-fastest man in history over 100m at the time.
By 2019, Coleman had NCAA titles, world leads, the 60m world record and a world title, and he was the 100m world champion. Everything you would expect from the face of US track and field.
From Global Dominance to a Debilitating Ban
The start of 2020 looked like business as usual, as Coleman ran the second-fastest 60m time ever to win the US indoor championships.
Then it all came crashing down. He was handed a two-year suspension (reduced to 18 months on appeal) for three missed drug tests. There was no suggestion that he had taken a banned substance. Instead, there was a filing error and several whereabouts failures.
Anti-doping tests in athletics can happen anytime, anywhere, with athletes required to log their location into a system. Coleman was Christmas shopping near home during one missed test, and he claimed the tester made no effort to contact him.
The result? No Tokyo Olympics for Coleman.
On form, Coleman was widely viewed as the favourite to win the blue riband 100m. Could he have added an Olympic title to his accolades at just 25 years old?
Coleman’s Attempted Comeback
By 2022, Coleman was back competing and aiming to defend his 2019 world title. After serving his ban, there were doubts over whether he could regain his pre-ban form.
He finished sixth in the 100m final at the 2022 World Championships, and fifth a year later, leading until the last 20-30 metres. Victory in the 2023 Diamond League final partly made up for his near misses.
With the Olympics approaching, could this be his year of redemption?
Indoor Champion, Outdoor Nearly-Man
Many track and field fans now view Christian Coleman as an indoor champion, but an outdoor nearly-man. His 2024 campaign was the epitome of that.
At the World Indoor Championships 60m, Coleman faced Noah Lyles. One of the fastest starters ever against a man with one of the most devastating top-end speeds. Start versus finish, the quiet storm versus the showman superstar.
Coleman beat Lyles by 0.03 seconds to cement his status as a 60m specialist. But he could not reproduce this success outdoors. He finished fourth at the US trials, despite leading most of the race once again. This meant no Paris Olympics. Noah Lyles went on to win the 100m gold.
At 28, could this have been Coleman’s last realistic shot at Olympic success?
Missing Moments Once Again
The 2025 season brought another opportunity for a global title. First, Coleman had to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo by placing in the top three at the US trials, a lineup stacked with fast athletes.
The US trials are one of the toughest 100m races on the calendar. Coleman ran a blistering 9.86 seconds in the final, fast enough to win most major races. However, the top three all ran personal bests, and Coleman finished fifth. Again, no global championships.
Four weeks later, Coleman claimed his third Diamond League title and with it a wildcard entry into the World Championships, only to see it invalidated because Lyles already held the US wildcard as reigning world champion.
Tokyo 2025 slipped away. Coleman had done everything he could to qualify, but once again, he would not be seen on the sport’s biggest stage.
Why Coleman Never Became the Face of US Track and Field
The first reason is simple: no global outdoor 100m title since 2019. In sprinting, recency matters, and Coleman has not matched Noah Lyles’ success in the outdoor season - the part of the track calendar that every fan follows.
Lyles became a 200m world champion in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025, as well as a 100m world champion in 2023 and an Olympic champion in 2024. While Coleman has many relay medals, he has just one individual outdoor title.
Personality is the second factor. Coleman tends to be quiet, focused and relatively private. Noah Lyles is the opposite, leaning into the spotlight with animated entrances and celebrations, bold quotes and a distinctive sense of style as he seeks to grow the sport.
Noah Lyles is known for his personality and style on the track! Image credits: Vision Mirror
Then there’s the whereabouts ban. Even without a positive test, any link to a drug case damages an athlete’s image with sponsors and fans, and Coleman’s 18-month suspension inevitably raised questions that won’t disappear.
Finally, the broader rise of Noah Lyles. Since Coleman burst onto the scene, Lyles has won numerous individual titles. He has brand partnerships with Celsius and Omega, and is a major brand ambassador for Adidas, which has increased his marketability and status. Therefore, he is the obvious choice for the face of major campaigns.
Despite their head-to-head record favouring Coleman seven to six, it is the global medals that define who fronts the sport. Put together, Coleman is not the charismatic, unique, outspoken and accomplished superstar that usually characterises the face of US track and field.
The Future For Christian Coleman
What does the future hold for Christian Coleman? He turns 30 in March 2026; the same age Bolt was when he retired. But that doesn’t mean Coleman is done just yet.
Justin Gatlin, the man who won the world championships in Bolt’s final 100m race in London in 2017, did so aged 35.
After the age of 30, Gatlin’s individual awards were:
2 x World Indoor 60m gold
1 x Olympic bronze
1 x Olympic silver
3 x World Championship silver
1 x World Championship gold
Coleman feels like an athlete who never quite reached his true potential. After his World Championship win in 2019, it looked like he was the man to inherit the sprint crown from Bolt, yet it never fully happened.
With no Olympic medals, here are Coleman’s major accolades:
3 x World Championship gold in the 4x100m relay
2 x World Championship silver in the 4x100m relay
1 x World Championship gold in the 100m
1 x World Championship silver in the 100m
2 x World Indoor 60m gold
1 x World Indoor 60m silver
So, what if Coleman had never been banned in 2020? Would he be the current face of track and field in the US? Unfortunately, those are questions we will never be able to answer…
