Athletics: “It feels like it’s within my ropes”, American sprinter Coleman considers himself close to beating Bolt’s 100m record

American sprinter Christian Coleman believes Usain Bolt's 100 meters record (9.58 seconds), which has stood for 15 years, is within reach and says several athletes are fast enough to beat it. “9.58 is obviously an extraordinary time, but honestly I feel like a lot of the guys competing today are not that far off, if the track gods have it,” Coleman told reporters Friday. ahead of Saturday's Shanghai Diamond League meeting.

He added: “But you have to have the perfect conditions, the right day, the right competition and the right venue... If you focus on the race, like running a good race, I have the feeling that these kinds of magical moments happen. I feel like it's within my reach, but I don't try to give it too much importance or think about it. I'm just trying to focus on the next practice, the next rep, the next me and trying to get better and better and better, and the times will come."

Jamaican Bolt set his 100m record in Berlin in 2009. American Tyson Gay is second fastest after Bolt with a time of 9.69 set in Shanghai the same year.

Christian Miller, a 17-year-old American, ran 9.93 - the fastest time in the world this year - at a high school meet in Florida last weekend.

Five-time world champion Coleman, whose 100m personal best of 9.76, set in 2019, faces American rival Fred Kerley for the first time this outdoor season at the Shanghai Diamond League, SATURDAY.

Coleman, 28, won 60m gold at the World Indoor Championships earlier this season in Glasgow.