Shortly After Accepting Defeat From Noah Lyles, 22YO Jamaican Star to Challenge Christian Coleman at Milrose Games

Noah Lyles, the iconic threepeater in the track world, unfurled his victory flag in the recent 60m dash at the New Balance Grand Prix. However, the first indoor event to start the Olympic year missed the 60m world indoor record holder, Christian Coleman, in action. But Coleman is gearing up to defend the 60m title at the upcoming Millrose Games, where he will face a challenge from 22-year-old Jamaican star.

The reigning Diamond League champion, Coleman outpaced Lyles in the 60m at Millrose 2023 and is now looking to defend his title successfully. Will we see a repeat of his feat at the 2024 event or will there be a new champion?

Jamaican phenom to win gold this time?

22-year-old Ackeem Blake, who doesn’t have as significant wins as his other compatriots, might have a stellar resume by the end of 2024. At the New Balance 60m, Blake was just a hundredth of a second more than Lyles. He lost his opportunity to outpace Lyles with his personal best time by just a fraction.

In 2022, Blake won the men’s 100m at the NACAC championships, clocking a new championship record of 9.98 secs (-0.4 m/s). Last year at the World Championships in Hungary he finished third in the 4 × 100 m relay. Christian Coleman, the 2019 world champion in the 100 meters, having made waves in 60m and 100m simultaneously, has a serious challenger in Blake.

Interestingly, if Coleman makes it to the top at this Millrose, it will be his third consecutive 60m title. In 2023, he had edged out Lyles in the 60m feat at the Millrose Games. But can leave Blake in his wake at the 2024 event?

Blake having run Lyles close could take it one step further in his quest to land gold at the Millrose Games However, Blake isn’t the only track star Coleman should be wary of.

Andre De Grasse is another name to watch out for.

The 6x Olympic medalist from Canada, Andre De Grasse, was the 200m champion at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Specializing in the 100m and 200m according to his track record, Grasse has not run a 60m at Millrose since 2016. Hence, this will be quite a challenge for De Grasse with runners like Coleman and Blake lining up.

READ MORE: Noah Lyles Reveals the “Missing Piece” of Track and Field

With one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals already in his Olympic purse, the Millrose indoors will be a good warm-up for Grasse. Apart from him, Ronnie Baker, Hakim Sani Brown, and Miles Lewis are also entered. Will Coleman be able to defend his title or will there be a new champion.

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