‘It completely disqualifies him’: sprint phenom forever tainted by missed drug tests
Even if recently minted 100m sprint world champion Christian Coleman breaks every record set by Usain Bolt he will never surpass the GOAT, says legend Michael Johnson.
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Olympic great Michael Johnson has got it right again. Christian Coleman can’t be the next Usain Bolt.
The athletics world has been waiting for a heir apparent since Bolt waved goodbye in 2017 after a period of dominance the sport had never seen before.
While Coleman was Bolt-like in his domination of the world championships 100m final in Doha, he can’t be the face of athletics because of the drug controversy which surrounds him.
Last month the US Anti-Doping Agency charged Coleman with missing three tests in 12 months before withdrawing the claim.
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The world indoor champion got off on a technicality which allowed him to backdate his first whereabouts failure before the 12-month window.
The 23-year-old declared it a misunderstanding but the scandal certainly overshadowed the lead-up and in victory the stigma will remain.
“It completely disqualifies him, at this point, from ever being that face of the sport. This will follow him, as it should,” Johnson told the BBC.
“I think this is an incredibly important issue around the sport because Christian Coleman was being touted to replace Usain Bolt as the big star of the sport.
“I don’t think that will happen now as a result of this. I think that fans of athletics don’t have any tolerance at this point for any sort of doping infraction.”
Coleman, who blitzed the field producing the sixth fastest time in history, 9.76sec, to win his first world title, continued to claim his innocence afterwards.
“It’s sad when people say the things they say when they don’t really know me,” he said.
“I have proved myself over the years to be a guy who does everything the right way. All I can do is focus on myself and my family. I came out with a gold medal, I’m blessed.
“Coming from where we come from, you’re not supposed to be here and be a world champion. From Atlanta. People don’t make it outside of that bubble, especially being a black man in America.”
In many respects Coleman’s victory was the lesser of two evils with defending champion Justin Gatlin finishing second (9.89sec). Canada’s Andre De Grasse was third in a personal best 9.90sec.
Gatlin is a convicted drug cheat having served two doping bans. He ruined Bolt’s farewell in the London final two years ago where he defeated Coleman with the great Jamaican third.
The 37-year-old, who won the 100m Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004, wants to have another crack in Tokyo next year.
“It’s surreal for me, it’s like my career is in reverse,” Gatlin said. “I felt like I arrived at the beginning of my career and now I have crossed that finishing line so many times I am just thankful.
“I find motivation from the fans, they still wish me well. I’ve got a few races left in me. Hopefully I’ll be in Tokyo - I don’t get a bye for that one so I’ll have to run hard.”
The result capped off a bizarre night at Khalifa Stadium.
First of all there was barely 10,000 spectators inside to see the premier event of the championships which started with an elaborate light show.
The stadium was placed in darkness with each competitor introduced via a spotlight on the start line. It was quite impressive and in a packed stadium with Bolt involved, it would have been off the charts.
But he’s gone and still the athletics world mourns. Coleman is now chasing the sprint double and there’s every chance he wins the 200m like Bolt did so many times before him.
Sadly, it will mean nothing in the big picture.
Originally published as ‘It completely disqualifies him’: sprint phenom forever tainted by missed drug tests