Childhood & Early Life
Coleman was born on March 6, 1996, to Daphne and Seth Coleman, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
He grew up with two sisters: Camryn and Cailyn. His older sister was a track-and-field athlete just like him and participated in competitions at the ‘Georgia Southern University.’ Two of his cousins were letter-winners in college football.
Coleman showed interest in track-and-field events at a tender age and won the long-jump event in his age category at the ‘Amateur Athletic Union Championships’ in 2007.
He graduated from the ‘Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School,’ Fayetteville, Fayette County, Georgia. He was a member of the track-and-field team there.
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High-School Accomplishments
In his senior year at high school, he set state high-school records in 100m, 200m, and 4X100m relay dashes, clocking 10.38, 21.10, and 41.88 seconds, respectively. He also won the long-jump event at the ‘Georgia High School State Championships.’ He was also an all-state high-school football player.
He led his school to the runner-up position at the ‘Georgia 1A-Private State Championship.’
He participated in the ‘New Balance Outdoor Nationals’ and clocked 10.30 seconds in the 100m race, breaking his personal record at the high-school level. However, he did not make it to the podium.
To honor him, the school named ‘The Christian Coleman Champions Award’ after him, following his graduation.
He earned the ‘Fred R. Langley Athletic Scholarship’ and attended ‘The University of Tennessee,’ in Knoxville, Tennesse, U.S.
University Accomplishments
In 2015, he joined the ‘Tennesse Volunteers,’ the track-and-field team of the ‘University of Tennesse.’ As a team member, he represented the university at various athletic meets. However, his performances were not noteworthy.
In 2016, Coleman won the 60m race and became the runner-up in the 200m dash at the ‘Southeastern Conference Indoor and Field Championships.’
At the ‘National Track and Field Indoor Championships,’ he won the 200m event and attained the 3rd position in the 60m race.
He ranked second in both the 100m and 200m dashes at the 2016 ‘NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.’
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In 2017, he won the gold in both the 60m and 200m races at the ‘Indoor National Track and Field Championships.’ Later, at the ‘NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships,’ he bagged the gold in 100m and 200m.
In 2017, he signed a contract with ‘Nike.’
The same year, he became the first ‘Tennessee Volunteer’ to win ‘The Bowerman Award.’
Professional Career
In his sophomore year at the ‘University of Tennesse,’ Coleman became eligible for the 2016 ‘United States Olympic Trials’ for the track-and-field category. In the semi-finals, for the first time, he broke the 10-second barrier by clocking 9.95 seconds. However, in the final, he was slower. He qualified for the 4x100m relay team.
In July 2016, he was named to the U.S. 4x100m relay team, which was to represent the country at the ‘Rio Olympics.’ He ran the second leg for the team at the ‘Olympics’ and qualified after winning the heat by clocking 37.65 seconds.
At the 2017 ‘U.S. Championships,’ he ranked second in the 100m and 200m events.
At the 2017 ‘World Championships,’ in London, England, he bagged the silver by finishing the 100m dash in 9.94 seconds. He also ran the anchor leg for the U.S. team and ranked second, clocking 37.52 seconds.
During the 2018 indoor season in the U.S., which began in January, he started by setting a world record of 6.37 seconds in the 60m race. However, due to technical reasons, the feat was not considered for validation by the ‘USA Track & Field.’
On February 18, 2018, at the ‘United States Indoor Championships’ in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he won the 60m final after setting the world-record time of 6.34 seconds.
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At the ‘IAAF World Indoor Championships’ in Birmingham, England, he claimed the gold after clocking 6.37 seconds. This was his first gold at a major international event.
The outdoor season in 2018 was challenging, as he was suffering from a hamstring injury back then, caused while training in April. He lost the first two 100m dashes. The first was at the ‘Prefontaine Classic’ and the second was at the ‘IAAF Diamond League’ in Rome, Italy.
After these losses, he decided not to participate in any more events for a while, so that he could recuperate.
In July 2018, he returned to the circuit and won the 100m event in Rabat, Morocco, clocking 9.98 seconds. However, his hamstring injury recurred, and he did not return to the circuit until mid-August 2018.
On August 18, 2018, in Birmingham, England, he claimed the gold in the 100m race by clocking 9.94 seconds.
He set his personal best by clocking 9.79 seconds in the 100m finals at the 2018 ‘Diamond League’ in Brussels, Belgium. This record made him the joint seventh-fastest performer in the history of the event.
To prepare for the long and enduring outdoor season of 2019, he gave the 2019 indoor season a miss.
At the 2019 ‘IAAF Diamond League’ held in Shanghai, China, he finished second, clocking 9.86 seconds. He had tied with his teammate Noah Lyles, but beat him on the line.
Later, in Oslo, Norway, he won the 100m by finishing in 9.85 seconds.
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After a gap of 2 years, he ran the 200m dash at ‘Golden Spike’ meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and ranked second, clocking 19.97 seconds.
He bagged the gold in the 100m event at the ‘Prefontaine Classic,’ by clocking 9.81 seconds.
He bested his personal record by clocking 9.76 seconds and winning the 100m final at the ‘World Championships,’ conducted in 2019 in Doha, Qatar. With this timing, he became the sixth-fastest man in the history of the 100m race and also the third-fastest American. At this event, he was part of the U.S. 4x100m relay team that won the gold, clocking 37.10 seconds
In February 2020, he participated in the ‘USA Track and Field Indoor Championships’ in Albuquerque and claimed the gold in the 60m event by clocking 6.37 seconds.
Facts About Christian Coleman
He is known for his unique pre-race routine of bouncing up and down on the track, which has become a recognizable part of his warm-up.
Coleman is an avid collector of vintage sneakers and has a passion for sneaker culture outside of his track and field career.
Despite his intense focus on training and competing, Coleman enjoys spending time playing the piano as a way to relax and unwind.
In addition to his athletic achievements, Coleman is also involved in charitable work, supporting various causes and giving back to his community.
