# Christian Coleman

**Christian Coleman** (born 1996) is an American sprinter from Atlanta, Georgia, who specializes in the 60 meters and 100 meters, holds the world indoor record for the 60 m at 6.34 seconds, and won the 100 m world title at the 2019 [World Athletics Championships](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-athletics-championships) in Doha.<sup>[1](https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209387?eventId=10229630&gender=M)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://worldathletics.org/news/press-release/world-indoor-record-ratified-christian-colema)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.ksl.com/article/sports/national/feeling-sore-coleman-drops-out-of-200-meters-at-worlds/46647619)</sup> His personal bests are 9.76 in the 100 m (Doha, 28 September 2019) and 19.85 in the 200 m ([Lexington, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/lexington-kentucky), 27 May 2017).<sup>[4](https://www.diamondleague.com/athlete/14541956/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996; hometown Atlanta, Georgia<sup>[1](https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209387?eventId=10229630&gender=M)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/christian-coleman/3475)</sup> |
| Personal bests | 100 m: 9.76 (Doha, 28 Sep 2019); 200 m: 19.85 (Lexington, KY, 27 May 2017)<sup>[4](https://www.diamondleague.com/athlete/14541956/)</sup> |
| World indoor 60 m record | 6.34, US Indoor Championships, Albuquerque, 18 February 2018; ratified 28 March 2018, replacing Maurice Greene's 6.39 from Madrid 1998<sup>[2](https://worldathletics.org/news/press-release/world-indoor-record-ratified-christian-colema)</sup> |
| College career | Second person in NCAA history to win all four sprint titles (indoor 60 m and 200 m, outdoor 100 m and 200 m) in one year, 2017; collegiate 100 m record 9.82<sup>[6](https://utsports.com/news/2017/6/27/coleman4bowerman)</sup> |
| World titles | 100 m gold, Doha 2019 (9.76); 4x100 m relay gold, Doha 2019, Budapest 2023, and Tokyo 2025 (37.29)<sup>[3](https://www.ksl.com/article/sports/national/feeling-sore-coleman-drops-out-of-200-meters-at-worlds/46647619)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://hsi.net/general/christian-coleman/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/world-athletics-championships-tokyo-2025-7190593/news/report/world-championships-tokyo-25-report-mens-4x100m)</sup> |
| Suspension | Two-year ban for whereabouts failures announced October 2020; missed the Tokyo Olympics despite never failing a drug test<sup>[9](https://www.investing.com/news/general/sprint-star-coleman-to-miss-olympics-after-being-banned-for-whereabouts-failure-2334326)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://www.axios.com/2020/06/18/christian-coleman-suspension-missed-drug-tests)</sup> |
| Olympic relay | Ran in the 4x100 m relay at Rio 2016; disqualified with the US team at Paris 2024 after a botched first exchange<sup>[5](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/christian-coleman/3475)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://time.com/7009721/team-usa-4x100-relay-women-gold-men-dq/)</sup> |

## College career at Tennessee

Coleman competed for the [University of Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tennessee) from 2014 to 2017.<sup>[12](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2020/4/16/TF_Newsletter_Spring2020.pdf)</sup> In 2017 he became the second person in NCAA history to win all four sprint championships in a single year, taking the indoor 60 m and 200 m titles and then the outdoor 100 m and 200 m titles.<sup>[6](https://utsports.com/news/2017/6/27/coleman4bowerman)</sup> His 60 m win in 6.45 tied the collegiate record and came with a 0.09-second margin of victory, the largest in NCAA Championship history.<sup>[5](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/christian-coleman/3475)</sup> In the NCAA Championship semifinals he set the collegiate 100 m record at 9.82 seconds.<sup>[6](https://utsports.com/news/2017/6/27/coleman4bowerman)</sup>

He turned professional on June 16, 2017, forgoing his final year of college eligibility to sign a seven-figure endorsement deal with Nike, and qualified for Team USA in both the 100 m and 200 m at the 2017 World Championships, the only man to do so that year.<sup>[5](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/christian-coleman/3475)</sup> In London he took silver in the 100 m behind [Justin Gatlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-gatlin) and silver in the 4x100 m relay.<sup>[13](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/136238)</sup> He had earlier competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, running the second leg in the 4x100 m relay qualifying round as the US team won its heat in 37.65.<sup>[5](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/christian-coleman/3475)</sup>

## The 60 m world record

Coleman broke the indoor 60 m world record twice within a month in early 2018. On 19 January at the Clemson Invitational in [South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-carolina) he ran 6.37, two hundredths under [Maurice Greene](https://www.edgepedia.org/maurice-greene)'s 6.39 from 1998, but the time could not be ratified as an official world record because the meet lacked electronic starting blocks and on-site drug testers.<sup>[14](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/iaaf-world-indoor-championships-7093742/news/report/christian-coleman-60m-world-indoor-record-637)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-run-60-metres-male-indoors)</sup> On 18 February at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque he ran 6.34 in the final, after 6.46 in his heat and 6.42 in the semifinal, and [World Athletics](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-athletics) ratified the record on 28 March 2018.<sup>[16](https://utsports.com/news/2018/2/19/track-field-xc-coleman-breaks-60m-world-record)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://worldathletics.org/news/press-release/world-indoor-record-ratified-christian-colema)</sup> Albuquerque sits at about 1,500 m altitude, a condition noted in the record documentation.<sup>[17](https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/b99faf4c-3979-409c-a25f-c0944ae42f2f.pdf)</sup> He went on to win the 60 m title at the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, where a biomechanical report highlighted his exceptional start.<sup>[18](https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=031dbb8f-b50d-47cb-92bd-458f9f76feb7.pdf&urlslug=Men%E2%80%99s+60m+%E2%80%93+2018+IAAF+Indoor+Championships+Biomechanical+Report)</sup>

## 2019 world champion at 100 m

At the World Athletics Championships in Doha on 28 September 2019, Coleman won the 100 m in a personal best of 9.76, becoming the sixth-fastest man in history and recording the fastest time since Justin Gatlin's 9.74 in 2015.<sup>[19](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/30/09/2019/World-Champion-Coleman-shows-who%E2%80%99s-the-sprint-king)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[20](https://amp.dw.com/en/world-athletics-championships-christian-coleman-secures-gold-in-100-meters/a-50626993)</sup> He beat defending champion Justin Gatlin (9.89) by 0.13 seconds, the largest winning margin in the event at the worlds or Olympics since 2011.<sup>[3](https://www.ksl.com/article/sports/national/feeling-sore-coleman-drops-out-of-200-meters-at-worlds/46647619)</sup> Four days later he added gold in the 4x100 m relay alongside Gatlin, Michael Rodgers, and [Noah Lyles](https://www.edgepedia.org/noah-lyles).<sup>[21](https://m.thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20191008_1570486866-13339.pdf)</sup> Soreness led him to withdraw from the 200 m at the same championships.<sup>[3](https://www.ksl.com/article/sports/national/feeling-sore-coleman-drops-out-of-200-meters-at-worlds/46647619)</sup>

## Suspension and return

In June 2020 the [Athletics Integrity Unit](https://www.edgepedia.org/athletics-integrity-unit) provisionally suspended Coleman for anti-doping whereabouts failures, meaning missed tests or improperly filed location paperwork rather than a positive test; he had never failed a drug test.<sup>[10](https://www.axios.com/2020/06/18/christian-coleman-suspension-missed-drug-tests)</sup> One cited incident involved being five minutes away Christmas shopping when testers arrived on 9 December 2019.<sup>[10](https://www.axios.com/2020/06/18/christian-coleman-suspension-missed-drug-tests)</sup> In October 2020 the AIU imposed a two-year ban, stating it found no mitigation to reduce the sanction, which ruled him out of the Tokyo Olympics.<sup>[9](https://www.investing.com/news/general/sprint-star-coleman-to-miss-olympics-after-being-banned-for-whereabouts-failure-2334326)</sup>

He returned to international competition and won 4x100 m relay gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, where he also finished fifth in the 100 m.<sup>[7](https://hsi.net/general/christian-coleman/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[22](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/680b7d070b63a3c8bcadd62f.pdf)</sup> At the 2024 US Olympic Trials he was out quickest as usual but finished fourth in 9.93, one spot short of an individual Olympic berth.<sup>[23](https://www.usatf.org/news/2024/lyles-100m-win-completes-first-half-of-sprint-doub)</sup>

## Relay highs and lows

Coleman's relay record spans both extremes. At the Paris 2024 Olympics he led off the US men's 4x100 m relay, but the first exchange with Kenneth Bednarek failed, the baton was passed outside the exchange zone, and the team, seventh across the line, was disqualified, extending the American men's [Olympic medal](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-medal) drought in the event to 20 years.<sup>[11](https://time.com/7009721/team-usa-4x100-relay-women-gold-men-dq/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[24](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/08/09/team-usa-disqualified-mens-4x100m-relay-final/)</sup> At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo the same lead-off pairing worked: Coleman got the US off to a flying start, and the team of Coleman, Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey, and Noah Lyles won gold in a world-leading 37.29, retaining the title.<sup>[8](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/world-athletics-championships-tokyo-2025-7190593/news/report/world-championships-tokyo-25-report-mens-4x100m)</sup> World Athletics currently ranks him eighth in the men's 100 m.<sup>[25](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/christian-coleman-14541956)</sup>

## References

1. [U.S. Olympic Team Trials 2024, Men's 100 Metres results, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209387?eventId=10229630&gender=M)
2. [World record ratified, World Athletics press release, 28 March 2018](https://worldathletics.org/news/press-release/world-indoor-record-ratified-christian-colema)
3. [Feeling sore, Coleman drops out of 200 meters at worlds, AP via KSL.com](https://www.ksl.com/article/sports/national/feeling-sore-coleman-drops-out-of-200-meters-at-worlds/46647619)
4. [Christian Coleman profile, Wanda Diamond League](https://www.diamondleague.com/athlete/14541956/)
5. [Christian Coleman roster bio, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/christian-coleman/3475)
6. [Coleman For The Bowerman, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2017/6/27/coleman4bowerman)
7. [Christian Coleman, HSI International](https://hsi.net/general/christian-coleman/)
8. [USA retains men's world 4x100m title in Tokyo, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/world-athletics-championships-tokyo-2025-7190593/news/report/world-championships-tokyo-25-report-mens-4x100m)
9. [World champion Coleman to miss Olympics after ban for whereabouts failure, Reuters via Investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/general/sprint-star-coleman-to-miss-olympics-after-being-banned-for-whereabouts-failure-2334326)
10. [Christian Coleman, the world's 100-meter champ, suspended for missed drug tests, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2020/06/18/christian-coleman-suspension-missed-drug-tests)
11. [How the Women's Team USA Sprint Relay Won Gold While the Guys Got DQ'd-Again, Time](https://time.com/7009721/team-usa-4x100-relay-women-gold-men-dq/)
12. [Tennessee Track & Field Newsletter, Spring 2020](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2020/4/16/TF_Newsletter_Spring2020.pdf)
13. [Christian Coleman, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/136238)
14. [Coleman breaks world indoor 60m record with 6.37 in Clemson, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/iaaf-world-indoor-championships-7093742/news/report/christian-coleman-60m-world-indoor-record-637)
15. [Fastest run 60 metres (male) indoors, Guinness World Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-run-60-metres-male-indoors)
16. [Coleman Breaks 60m World Record, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2018/2/19/track-field-xc-coleman-breaks-60m-world-record)
17. [Meeting card, IAAF competition documents](https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/b99faf4c-3979-409c-a25f-c0944ae42f2f.pdf)
18. [Men's 60m, 2018 IAAF Indoor Championships Biomechanical Report, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=031dbb8f-b50d-47cb-92bd-458f9f76feb7.pdf&urlslug=Men%E2%80%99s+60m+%E2%80%93+2018+IAAF+Indoor+Championships+Biomechanical+Report)
19. [World Champion Coleman shows who's the sprint king, The Peninsula Qatar](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/30/09/2019/World-Champion-Coleman-shows-who%E2%80%99s-the-sprint-king)
20. [Coleman wins 100m gold at worlds, DW](https://amp.dw.com/en/world-athletics-championships-christian-coleman-secures-gold-in-100-meters/a-50626993)
21. [The Peninsula Qatar, 8 October 2019 (relay photo page)](https://m.thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20191008_1570486866-13339.pdf)
22. [Christian Coleman, Lane 4 profile document, World Athletics](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/680b7d070b63a3c8bcadd62f.pdf)
23. [Lyles 100m win completes first half of sprint double at Olympic Trials, USA Track & Field](https://www.usatf.org/news/2024/lyles-100m-win-completes-first-half-of-sprint-doub)
24. [Team USA disqualified in men's 4x100m relay final, Atlanta News First](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/08/09/team-usa-disqualified-mens-4x100m-relay-final/)
25. [Christian Coleman profile, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/christian-coleman-14541956)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Sprinters and hurdlers › Short sprinters*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license