The 2024 Olympics are only two months away, and the country’s fastest runners are hellbent on sending out tactful messages to their opponents at every turn. The three-time World Championships gold medalist Christian Coleman is among the top names who are expected to bring glory to the US from Paris, and he just bolstered his claim for the top place on the podium once again recently.

Coleman has been dropping some big claims in recent weeks, especially after taking down competition at the Xiamen Diamond League in April. After winning the men’s 100m race at the tournament, Coleman claimed that Usain Bolt’s record in the event wouldn’t be standing at the top for too long, for which fans didn’t hesitate to come forward with their jeers. However, Coleman has now trounced Bolt’s high pedestal in another domain and will surely be eyeing the bigger prize now.

Christian Coleman edges past Usain Bolt

In a recent post on X (formerly called Twitter) by Olympian Rory Dunk, the two-time Diamond League winner Coleman’s latest feather to the cap has been shared emphatically. The post showcases Coleman’s determination to prove his worth as he sprints across the 40y length captioned, “Can Track speed translate to football? Watch Christian Coleman drop a crazy 4.12 in the 40-yard dash which would easily be a combine record” elaborates the post further.

With the performance, Christian has now broken the world’s fastest man’s record in the 40-yard dash, which he ran in 4.22 seconds at the 2019 Super Bowl. As part of their job, NFL stars regularly dish out breakneck speeds to help their teams score touchdowns while also outpacing the opponents. However, with his latest feat, Coleman definitively showed why he is one of the strongest contenders for the gold at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Even before the Xiamen Diamond League, Christian Coleman won gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in the men’s 60m dash, highlighting his prowess, and now that he has taken the Jamaican’s coveted throne in one area, he will surely find more confidence to do so in other events as well. However, he will definitely not be the only American to gaze at Bolt’s elite status as their next goal.

American hopes in safe hands

Over the past few months, Noah Lyles has also come forward with claims of usurping Usain’s high pedestal in August at the Paris Games. Claiming that he will be winning gold medals in all four events (100, 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m) the six-time World Championships gold medalist hasn’t been too reluctant to show his “greedy” side to his fans.

With 9.83 seconds in the men’s 100m event, Lyles isn’t too far off from Bolt’s record in the same (9.58). While Lyles still has to move mountains to become the world’s fastest man, he did note that he had the best practice of his life ahead of the Atlanta Games earlier this month. On the other hand, the USA’s Kenny Bednarek currently holds the world lead in the men’s 200m race as he won the race in 19.67 seconds at the Doha Diamond League.

Still, Bolt’s 19.19 remains a significant obstacle for anyone looking to set a new world record in this race. With so many bold statements coming from athletes, only time will tell if any of these stars have what it takes to throw Bolt from his seat and claim the position as their own.