Coleman brushes off Johnson barbs after 100m win

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AFP Doha
Last Updated : Sep 29 2019 | 10:55 AM IST

Christian Coleman hit back at US sprinting legend Michael Johnson after powering to a brilliant 100m victory at the World Championships.

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 at the Khalifa Stadium.

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.

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.

Coleman, however, was unmoved by Johnson's remarks as he celebrated Saturday's win.

"Michael Johnson doesn't pay my bills or sign my cheques," Coleman said. "So I don't really care what he has to say."
"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."
- Rewarding performance - =========================
"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."
"I just keep doing me and representing the sport the right way. Like I said, I didn't do anything wrong."
"I've done everything right, I'm a model citizen."

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First Published: Sep 29 2019 | 10:55 AM IST

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