- It feels crazy that my name is included in the list of world champions at 100 meters and I got with me a personal record and the gold medal. There are so many emotions, such life on the stand and my family is here, ”Coleman tells SVT Sport.
Coleman flew out of the block from lane four and slid off the field. His mentor, the reigning champion Justin Gatlin, rushed from lane three into silver at 9.89. Coleman improved his personal record by three hundredths and is now the sixth runner of all time. Andre De Grasse was third in the personal record 9.90.
In the semi-finals earlier in the evening, Coleman won well over 9.88 in light headwinds and impressed big.
"Coleman grows in my eyes"- Coleman is growing in my eyes as he performs here. He comes in with a big favorite, which is not the easiest to handle. He was incredibly convincing in both attempts and semi and so he keeps that calm here, says SVT Sports expert Kajsa Bergqvist.
For a long time, however, it was unclear whether Coleman would be allowed to participate in the championship. As late as early September, an investigation into the sprint star was closed. Prior to that, he was charged by the US Anti-Doping Agency Usada for violating the doping rules by failing three doping tests over the course of a twelve-month period.
- I was never worried, but I was always ready to come here and run according to plan, says Coleman.
It was the first major 100 m final since the 2007 Osaka World Cup without Usain Bolt in the starting field.