- Eugene, Oregon—At the Prefontaine Classic, Christian Coleman won the Men’s 100 m event against fellow American Noah Lyles, clocking a time of 9.83 seconds. Lyles was in second place with a 9.85 seconds time, followed by Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala in third place.
Coleman wasn’t particularly the American that the fans had high hopes for in the event, as he had a fifth-place finish at the World Athletics.
It was Lyles, as it was he who made waves in the news and social media, both for his achievements and his ongoing feud with the NBA.
He was at the top of his game last month when he won three gold medals for Team USA at the World Athletics and recorded an impressive 9.83 seconds run at the 100m event, earning him the moniker of the fastest man since Usain Bolt.
But Coleman wasn’t fazed. He started off strong and finished strong, staying consistent throughout the race and ultimately snaring the gold for his country.
“You just got to stay consistent, find your race pattern, and when you find it, you hold on to it. This year I feel like I had a mental breakthrough to where I’m able to just find my stride and stick to it. And I feel like next year I’ll be able to capitalize.” Coleman said.
Coleman also shared that this race was different than his previous ones as he didn’t get tensed near the end. He said that he was able to find a sense of confidence this time, which enabled him to remain composed throughout the race and ultimately emerge victorious.
“I feel like I could have executed the start a little bit better, but I feel like I was able to just put all my experiences throughout the year during the race,” Coleman said. “In races like that I usually might get tight or just not execute the back end, but I was able to just find a sense of confidence and believe in myself, like I knew I was supposed to win this race, and so I was able to stay composed and put out a win at the end.”
With a time of 9.83 seconds, Coleman has now tied with Lyles’ world record, sending out the message that there’s definitely another American out there who can make the USA proud.
He also commented on his fifth place finish at the World Athletics:
“I was ready to run a 9.7 in Budapest, but it just wasn’t my day,” Coleman said. “In races you take the good and apply it (to the next race) and take the negative and improve on it. Coming off the worlds final, I just told myself to relax.”
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