Christian Coleman the fastest man in the world after Doha win

American Christian Coleman takes control down the stretch as he beats compatriot Justin Gatlin to the 100m title. Picture: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty

Coleman started well and extended his lead down the stretch to win in 9.76 seconds. Defending champion and compatriot Justin Gatlin finished second in the marquee event of the championships. Andre de Grasse of Canada was third.

“At the end, all my worries just evaporated out there,” said Coleman, 23. “It was a crazy feeling. To add my name to the list of the legendary guys who’ve come before me is an honour and a blessing.”

In 2017, Coleman was the silver medallist behind his American team-mate Gatlin, both beating Usain Bolt in his last individual race. In Doha, they ran  side-by-side, but the 37-year-old Gatlin never really threatened.

Gatlin said he had reached out to support Coleman when the younger runner faced a potential ban.

“Justin Gatlin is a great guy and a great competitor,” Coleman said. “He’s always been there. I remember watching him back in 2004, when I was eight years old, and to think all these years later, I could come and win gold too is a great feeling.”

Coleman beat his personal best by 0.03 seconds to become the sixth-fastest man in history, overtaking Nesta Carter and Maurice Greene in the all-time standings.

It was the first world 100 final since 2005 without Bolt. The legendary Jamaican sprinter’s world record of 9.58, now a decade old, was 0.18 faster than Coleman’s time.

From Atlanta, Coleman won NCAA titles in the 100 and 200 for the University of Tennessee in 2017. He took the US title in the 100 in July. Today he’ll run in the 200m heats.

Coleman was initially charged with failing to provide accurate information on his whereabouts for drug testing, missing three tests over 12 months.

The US Anti-Doping Agency has never reported a positive drug test for Coleman. The agency said Coleman has been tested on 20 separate occasions in 2018 and 2019. He missed a drug test on 26 April, his third missed test since June 2018.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency’s interpretation of the rule backdated his first failure to 1 April, 2018, instead of the date it occurred, 6 June, 2018. On 2 September, USADA said that technicality meant there weren’t three failures within 12 months, and it would not pursue the case.

In contrast to the boos that greeted Gatlin’s victory in London two years ago – a reference to his two previous suspensions for doping – the reception for Coleman was warm at the lightly-attended event in the Qatari capital.

Many seats in the 40,000-capacity Khalifa International Stadium were covered with awnings and a number of spectators from African countries left after the earlier women’s 10,000m event.

Those that had left early missed an impressive light show in the stadium that preceded the 100m final. The track lit up in various colours in the build-up to the race and the names of the competitors flashed on to the lanes. All the while, the athletes had to stand by their blocks and wait to be introduced to the crowd.

Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, pictured inset, missed out on a medal. The European champion, who struggled with his start during the earlier rounds, was sixth in 10.03secs. Team-mates Adam Gemili and Ojie Edoburun failed to progress beyond the semi-finals. Gemili finished third in his semi while Edoburun came fifth in 10.22s.