Christian Coleman overcame an average start to nearly break his 60m world record at the USATF Indoor Championships, a signal that the Olympic 100m favorite is in form to start the season.
Coleman clocked 6.37 seconds, matching the second-fastest time in history behind his world record 6.34 from 2018.
“I thought I had a shot at the record,” Coleman, the 2019 World 100m champion, told Lewis Johnson on NBC. “We haven’t done a whole lot of speed work [in training], so I’m pretty satisfied.”
Coleman now has the four fastest 60m times in history. He beat a field at nationals in Albuquerque that did not include Olympic 100m contenders Noah Lyles and Justin Gatlin, who did not race the indoor season.
Nationals mark the last major meet of the indoor season, given the world indoor championships were postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak in host China.
USATF Indoors: Results
In other events Saturday, Olympic champion Ryan Crouser launched the second-farthest indoor shot put in history — 22.60 meters. It was six centimeters shy of American Randy Barnes‘ world record from 1989.
Shelby Houlihan earned her 13th national title and her second in as many days. Houlihan, fourth in the 2019 Worlds 1500m, followed Friday’s 3000m title by pulling away in Saturday’s 1500m in 4:06.41.
Olympic steeplechaser Colleen Quigley was second, 1.89 seconds behind. Elle Purrier, who last Saturday ran the second-fastest indoor mile in history, withdrew before the race.
Sandi Morris beat Jenn Suhr in a battle of the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and 2012 Olympic champion in the pole vault. Morris cleared 4.90 meters, where Suhr failed at three attempts.
World bronze medalist Vashti Cunningham earned her fifth straight U.S. indoor high jump title.
MORE: Full list of U.S. athletes qualified for Tokyo Olympics
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