Christian Lee Coleman (born March 6, 1996) is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 m, and 200 m. The 2019 world champion in the 100 meters, he also won gold as part of men's 4 × 100-meter relay. He holds personal bests of 9.76 seconds for the 100 m, which made him the 7th fastest all-time in the history of 100 metres event, and 19.85 for the 200 m. Coleman is the world record holder for the indoor 60 meters with 6.34 seconds. He was the Diamond League champion in 2018 and 2023 and the world number one ranked runner in the men's 100 m for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Coleman represented the United States in the relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics, competing in the heats only. He was the gold medallist in the 60 m at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham and is a two-time American national champion, having won the 60 m in 2018 and 100 m in 2019. Coleman competed collegiately for the Tennessee Volunteers and won five NCAA titles indoors and out, including American collegiate record performances in both the 100 m and 60 m.
Coleman served an 18-month competition ban from May 2020 to November 2021 due to an anti-doping rule violation in relation to three missed tests. The initial sanction had been for 24 months, but this was later reduced by six months following an appeal. Coleman was arrested in 2026 for drug paraphernalia found in his car and resisting arrest, after his girlfriend Sha'Carri Richardson was arrested for dangerous excessive speeding.
Contents
Career
Born to Seth and Daphne Coleman in Atlanta, Georgia, Christian Coleman grew up with two sisters, Camryn and Cailyn. He came from a sporting family, as two of his cousins were letter-winners in college football and his older sister Camryn competed in track and field at Georgia Southern University. He took part in track from a young age, winning the long jump in his age category at the Amateur Athletic Union Championships in 2007.
He attended high school at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Fayetteville, Georgia and was part of his high school track team. In his senior year, he competed at the 2014 New Balance Nationals Outdoor and was a finalist in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. At the Georgia High School State Championships he won the 100 m, 200 m, long jump, and 4 × 100 m relay, as well as setting state high school records in the 100 m (10.38), 200 m (21.10), and the 4 × 100 m relay (41.88). In addition, he was an all-state high school football player as a defensive back and wide receiver. He ended 2014 with a 100 m best of 10.30 seconds. Coleman received the Fred R. Langley Athletic Scholarship and went on to attend the University of Tennessee.
College
At Tennessee, Coleman was the 60 meters champion and 200 meters runner up at the 2016 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships. He then went on to win the 200 meters at the National Track and Field Indoor Championships and was 3rd in the 60 meters. He was the runner-up in both the 100 meters and 200 meters dash at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
After coming off an outstanding sophomore season, one that ended in making the 2016 Olympic team, he continued his success into his Junior season at Tennessee. During his indoor campaign he set PRs throughout the season resulting in world leading times in the 60 meters and 200 meters dash. Coleman took gold in both events at the 2017 Indoor National Track and Field Championships in historic fashion. He ran 6.45 seconds in the 60 meters, tying the collegiate record, and 20.11 seconds in the 200 meters, just 0.01 seconds off the collegiate record held by Wallace Spearmon. Christian finished his collegiate career by winning the 100 meters dash in 10.04 seconds and the 200 meters in 20.25 seconds at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Coleman joins former Tennessee sprinter, Justin Gatlin, as the only other person to sweep the 60 meters and 200 meters indoor titles, and the 100 meters and 200 meters outdoor titles.
Coleman received some notoriety after the 2017 NFL draft scouting combine. John Ross set a new combine record of 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash and claimed he was faster than Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt. Coleman responded to this by running the 40 yards in 4.12 seconds on turf.
Coleman was Tennessee's first winner of The Bowerman in 2017, an award that honors collegiate track and field's most outstanding athlete of the year.
Professional
Coleman qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. In the 100 m semi-finals he broke the 10-second barrier for the first time, finishing in 9.95 seconds. He was a little slower in the final, however, placing sixth, which potentially qualified him for the 4 × 100 m relay team. On July 11, Coleman was named to the US 4 × 100 meters relay team. At the Olympics, Coleman ran the second leg for Team USA in the 4 × 100 meters relay qualifying as the team won their heat with a time of 37.65 seconds. The team that ran in the finals, without Coleman, was disqualified.
2017 would prove to be Coleman's big breakthrough on the international scene. After winning the 100 meters and the 200 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, he turned pro; signing a contract with Nike. At the U.S. Championships in Sacramento, California; Coleman claimed second place in the 100 meters, running 9.98 s, behind Justin Gatlin's 9.95 s. Coleman also competed in the 200 meters, again finishing in second, behind Ameer Webb.
Coleman claimed silver in the 100 meters final, with a time of 9.94 seconds, behind Justin Gatlin and ahead of Usain Bolt in his final 100 meters race. He dropped out of the 200 meter event, citing fatigue. He also ran the anchor leg for the US 4 × 100 meters relay team at the championships, finishing second with a time of 37.52 seconds,0.05 seconds behind Great Britain.
Coleman began his 2018 indoor season with a world record time of 6.37 seconds in the 60 meters at the Clemson Invitational in South Carolina, breaking Maurice Greene's near 20-year-old record by two one hundredths of a second. However, his time was not submitted for ratification as a world record by USA Track & Field due to the event neither providing for electronic starting blocks, which measure reaction times in preventing false starts, nor a zero gun (AKA zero control) test, which checks that the automatic clock-timing system start and capture sequence are properly recorded. But, one month later, on February 18, 2018, at the United States Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Coleman clocked a world record time of 6.34 seconds in the 60 meters final, thus breaking Maurice Greene's previously held record.
He went on to win the 60 meters world indoor title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, clocking a championship record (previously held by Maurice Greene) of 6.37 seconds. The time is also the fastest recorded indoor performance at sea level. It is his first gold medal at the major championships.
Statistics
Information from World Athletics profile or Track & Field Results Reporting System unless otherwise noted.
International competitions
1Disqualified in the final
Circuit wins
Diamond League (100 m)
Overall winner: 2018
Rabat: 2018
Birmingham: 2018
Brussels: 2018
Oslo: 2019
Stanford: 2019
Xiamen: 2023
Eugene: 2023, 2024
World Indoor Tour (60 m)
Boston: 2018
