With an 18-month ban served, Christian Coleman, the world record holder in the 60-meters (6.34), who hasn’t raced competitively since February of 2020, will make his return to the track Jan. 29 at the 114th Millrose Games at The Armory in Washington Heights (Manhattan). The 25-year-old from Atlanta and University of Tennessee product will be challenged in the 60-meters by a stellar field that includes Tokyo Olympians Trayvon Bromell, Ronnie Baker and Noah Lyles.
Bromell was viewed as a strong medal contender in the 100-meters at last summer’s Olympics held in Japan but didn’t make it past the semifinals. He won the World Indoor 60-meter finals in 2016. Baker finished fifth in the 100-meters in Tokyo. Lyles captured gold in the 200-meters at the 2019 World Championships and bronze in the 200 at the 2020 Olympics, staged in the summer of 2021 as they were postponed for one year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Clocking the world’s fastest times in the men’s 100-meters in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Coleman was the man all eyes that follow sprinting were watching in the months leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. With three-time (2008, 2012, 2016) Olympic 100-meter gold medal winner Usain Bolt hanging up his spikes following the 2017 World Championships, Coleman was the favorite to stand atop the 100 medal podium in Japan.
However, his aspirations were deferred as the reigning 100-meter world champion was banned from competing at the Olympics for missing three random drug tests over a 12-month period in 2019 termed “whereabouts failures.” Coleman adamantly denied allegations that he used substances that were prohibited by the World Athletics, the sports governing body, or intentionally evaded tests.
”I have never and will never use performance enhancing supplements or drugs,” Coleman posted on his Twitter account after receiving a provisional suspension in June of 2020. “I am willing to take a drug test EVERY single day for the rest of my career for all I care to prove my innocence.”