ALBUQUERQUE (New Mexico): World record holder Christian Coleman overcame a sluggish start to run the season’s fastest 60 metres in the preliminaries of the US championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday.

Coleman burst out of the blocks then cruised to the finish line in 6.48 seconds well ahead of runners up Marvin Bracy and Brandon Carnes, who tied for second in 6.53 seconds.

“I can use it to prepare me for the outdoor season and make the Olympic team,” Coleman said.

Demek Kemp, who ran a 6.50 seconds earlier this year, was fourth in 6.56 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

The 23-year-old American, the world’s fastest man each of the last three years, is the main attraction at the 2020 USA Track and Field Indoor Championships.

“We are on world record watch,” said four-time Olympic sprint medallist Ato Boldon, now an NBC Sports analyst. “If that’s how he’s looking. It means he can challenge 6.34 in the final.”

Boldon was referring to the world record Coleman set two years ago on the same track in the rarefied air of high altitude Albuquerque that aids sprinters and slows distance runners.

Coleman — who is also expected to run in the 60m semi-finals on Saturday — is the world record holder in the event, setting the mark two years ago when he clocked a 6.34, shaving .05 off the previous best time.

He is also the world champion in the 100 metres, holding personal records of 9.76 for the 100m and 19.85 seconds for the 200m.

This was his first 60m race in over a year and it comes four months before he is expected to run in both the 100m and the 200m at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. He is considered the 100m favourite for the Tokyo Olympics later this year.

His domination in the 60m includes one stretch in 2018 that lasted six weeks and saw him register the three fastest times in history.

Season’s bests also were set in the women’s 400m and shot put and the men’s weight throw.

Former collegiate champion Wadeline Jonathas dominated 400m qualifying, winning by more than a second in 51.32, and Chase Ealey claimed the women’s shot put with a final round throw of 18.99m.

On the men’s side, Conor McCullough took the infrequently contested weight throw at 25.31m.

Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo showed he is ready for another Games by winning the 3,000m in 8:00.14 and Olympian Shelby Houlihan won the women’s 3,000m in 8:52.03 for her 11th national title on the track.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2020