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The 21-year-old continued his meteoric rise to
the upper echelons of global sprinting when he shattered a
two-decade old 60 metres world record with a blazing time of
6.37 seconds at Clemson, South Carolina.
"Great start to my career," tweeted Coleman, in his first full
year as a professional athlete.
The time, if ratified by global governing body IAAF, shaves 0.02
seconds off the mark countryman Maurice Greene initially
established in 1998 and then matched in 2001.
"I'm in disbelief," Coleman's coach Tim Hall told Reuters. "This
was his season opener. It was totally unexpected."
The two had chosen the small meeting at Clemson University to
see where the talented sprinter stood in terms of upcoming
competitions, including next month's Boston Indoor Grand Prix
and March's world indoor championships in Birmingham, England.
"So we got through the prelims and felt pretty good since he
backed off a little before the finish and still ran 6.47," Hall
said.
The time was the fastest in the world this year and 0.02 seconds
slower than Coleman's personal best.
"So we talked a little bit more before the final," Hall said.
"And like I always tell him, I said: 'Relax, no pressing and
allow the run to happen.'
"That was the result."
Coleman's tag as America's next sprint hope was established last
year when he clocked a world-best 9.82 seconds in the 100m at
the U.S. collegiate championships before he edged the legendary
Usain Bolt for silver at the world championships.
He went on to claim a second silver medal in London as the
American quartet were edged out by hosts Great Britain in the
4x100m relay.
"We have been having some great practice sessions," Hall said.
"And he has been improving his strength development, so I guess
it is all coming together."
Ironically, after the race, Hall said Coleman told him the start
had not felt right, which pleased the coach.
"Anytime I hear that from an athlete that means they are getting
close to doing what we are trying to get accomplished," Hall
said.
"It might not have felt right to him, but it couldn't have been
wrong if he ran that fast."
So how fast can the former Tennessee sprinter run?
"We will get back to Knoxville and look at the tape and see the
technical things we can improve on to get even faster," Hall
added.
"Today was a pretty good starting point."
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by
John O'Brien)
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