Doha: Christian Coleman hit back at US sprinting legend Michael Johnson on Saturday after powering to a brilliant 100m victory at the World Championships.
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Coleman blew away his rivals to take the first major outdoor title of his career, clocking a world-leading personal best of 9.76 sec.
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The win cemented Coleman’s status as the man to beat at next year’s Tokyo Olympics, and elevated the 23-year-old American to the head of a pack of sprinters aiming to be the new face of athletics in the post-Usain Bolt era.
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In the eyes of Johnson, however, Coleman has already forfeited the right to be the figurehead of track and field after the missed drugs test controversy that marred his build-up to the games.
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Coleman, however, was unmoved by Johnson’s remarks as he celebrated Saturday’s win.
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“Michael Johnson doesn’t pay my bills or sign my cheques,” Coleman said. “So I don’t really care what he has to say.”
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Coleman was only able to compete after the case against him was withdrawn because of a technical loophole.
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Johnson however maintains that the odour of wrongdoing will continue to linger around Coleman, even if he ultimately avoided sanction.
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“It completely disqualifies him, at this point, from ever being that face of the sport,” Johnson said.
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“This will follow him, as it should. Christian Coleman was being touted to replace Usain Bolt as the big star of the sport.
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“I don’t think that will happen now. I think that fans of athletics don’t have any tolerance at this point for any sort of doping infraction.”
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Coleman gave Johnson’s remarks short shrift though, believing that ultimately he will be judged by his performances on the track.
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“I think the face of the sport goes to the people who are putting up the performances,” he said.
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“The faces of the sport are going to be the people who are putting up the right times and representing the sport in the right way.
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“You’re insinuating that something happened — and at the end of the day I did nothing wrong.
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“I just keep doing me and representing the sport the right way. Like I said, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
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