Christian Coleman Breaks 20-Year-Old World Record In The 60 Meters

Christian Coleman, probably best known to most American sports fans as the guy who ran a fast 40, just ran 60 meters in 6.37 seconds. That breaks a world record that fellow American Maurice Greene set at 6.39 in February of 1998, a month before Coleman’s second birthday.

Coleman won at Clemson tonight by two-tenths of a second. Last year, in his junior season at Tennessee, Coleman had one of the greatest seasons ever by a collegiate sprinter. Indoors, he tied the collegiate 60m record (6.45) and ran 20.11 to miss the 200m record by .01; outdoors, he broke the 100m record (9.82) and ran 19.85 to miss the 200m record by .06.

After turning pro last summer, Coleman finished second behind Justin Gatlin (and ahead of Usain Bolt) in the 100m at the outdoor world championships. He’s somehow months ahead of where he was at this point last year.