Now, Coleman vows to spoil Bolt’s happy ending
LONDON: Usain Bolt will be hoping to bring his storied athletics career to a close with IAAF World Championships gold in the 4x100 metres relay on Saturday, but Christian Coleman is determined to spoil the farewell.
Jamaican sprint king Bolt could only manage bronze in his final individual outing in the 100m last weekend, with longtime rival Justin Gatlin proving an unpopular winner ahead of the upcoming Coleman in London.
The 21-year-old will team up with United States team-mate Gatlin to try to deny eight-time Olympic champion Bolt one last gold at the weekend, and it is a challenge he is relishing.
Coleman told Omnisport: “I think we’re in contention to win, just like anybody. But we’ve got to make sure we come out and have our sticks right because it’ll be another competitive race just like the 100 was, but I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge.”
Regardless of the outcome in the relay, Coleman believes his silver medal in the 100m can provide a solid foundation to build a successful career from. The Atlanta-born sprinter already has his eyes set on adding the 200m to his repertoire in Qatar in two years. “I think my first World Championships, I handled it well. My goal, just like any other meet, was to come out and win. You shoot as high as you can but if you don’t end up there you can still end up accomplishing something great,” said Coleman.
“People were saying I didn’t really have the experience to compete at this level. Personally, I felt like experience doesn’t necessarily play a part in that, you’ve just got to come out here no matter what your age is and compete.