Five races, zero gold. Wait, seriously? Christian Coleman, the guy who once shattered Usain Bolt’s streak, has been stuck in what feels like a nightmare since 2024. But let’s forget 2024 and concentrate on his 2025 season. Till now, he’s hit the track five times and hasn’t won a single race. Like, he started off the season at the Florida Relays on April 5, running a solid 10.06 in the 100m, but it was only good enough for third place. Not the bombshell comeback everyone hoped for. And then? Nothing. No wins. Just frustrating near misses: second place, third, fourth, then fifth again. Like he’s trapped in some cruel loop. Then came the Golden Grand Prix, the moment everyone was waiting for, but nope, he lost again.
Suddenly, whispers started getting louder: “Is Coleman washed up?” Another added, “Can he even qualify for the World Championships anymore?” But here’s where it gets even juicier: a legendary track coach has stepped in, surprising everyone by throwing his full support behind Coleman. With strong words of belief and encouragement, he’s shutting down the doubters and backing a serious comeback.
We know, at the Golden Grand Prix, Christian Coleman finished third in the men’s 100m with a time of 10.11 seconds. Japan’s Hiroki Yanagita took the win in 10.06, followed closely by American Christian Miller in 10.08. Not exactly the comeback everyone expected from the 2019 100m world champion. After the race, Coleman said, “Each race, every opportunity I have, is more of a mental, internal battle for me to get better. I felt some good things today and I want to just keep getting better at it.”
You can tell he’s still fighting hard, but the results just aren’t catching up yet. And sure, the fans are getting impatient, but don’t sweat it, because Coach Rob is here to back him up. Coach Rob, who runs the popular YouTube channel Coach Rob Track and Field, gave a brutally honest but supportive analysis of Coleman’s recent performances.
He explained, “He was supposed to win. Last year, at the Olympic trials, Coleman was running in very good form. I thought it was going to be incredibly hard to keep him off the team. If the Olympic qualification rules didn’t limit the number of Americans to just three, he would have been in the Olympic final for the 100—almost definitively. And once he got there, all bets were off.”
Well, we know Christian Coleman narrowly missed qualifying for the men’s 100m final at the U.S. Olympic Trials last year, finishing fourth with a time of 9.93 seconds. The top three finishers, Noah Lyles (9.83), Kenny Bednarek (9.87), and Fred Kerley (9.88), secured automatic spots on the Olympic team. But now, in 2025, Coach Rob says he’s seeing the same pattern in the Golden Grand Prix: “Christian Coleman is not in front of the race midway through, and then other athletes pull away. I’m not crying wolf. It is what it is.”
He reminded fans that Coleman did have some wins earlier in 2024, especially in the Diamond League, but “he’s going to be judged not just on making it to the World Championships or even the final; he’s done both of those before but on leaving with a medal. Really, what we want to see is a gold medal because we’ve seen him show that kind of form before.”
Coach Rob is saying that Christian Coleman has already shown he can qualify for big competitions like the World Championships and even make it to the final race. So, getting there is easy for him. Coach Rob backed Coleman too, highlighting the elite speed Coleman has shown: “9.76 seconds is the line; no man has run faster since Bolt retired. Christian Coleman is one of the few men who have matched that exact time.”
And that’s not all. Well, in the 2017 World Championships Semifinals, Christian Coleman clocked 9.97 seconds, narrowly edging out Bolt, who ran 9.98 seconds. This marked the first time Coleman surpassed Bolt in a competitive race. So, what’s next? Is Coleman stuck in a slump, or is he gearing up for a comeback? There’s one clear way for Coleman to come back stronger than ever.
Christian Coleman needs to do this to bounce back stronger in 2025
Christian Coleman’s 2025 season has been a bit of a rollercoaster. He started things off at the Pepsi Florida Relays on April 5, running the 4x100m relay with Kyree King, Erriyon Knighton, and Robert Gregory. The squad clocked 38.16 seconds, good enough for second place — solid, but not quite the dominant performance fans were hoping for (source). Then came his first individual test of the season: the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on April 19.
Coleman ran a 10.06 in the 100m, which landed him in third place, behind 18-year-old sensation Christian Miller and the always-sharp Courtney Lindsey (source). Not a bad time, but definitely not peak Coleman. Then came the Diamond League meets, and things got tougher. In Xiamen on April 26, he finished 4th with a 10.18, and a week later in Keqiao (Shanghai), he clocked 10.13 for 5th place (Xiamen source, Keqiao source).
Across all these races, one thing’s clear: his starts aren’t as explosive as we’re used to, and that’s costing him in the first 30 meters — the phase he usually owns. Add in the rise of young guns like Christian Miller and the consistency of guys like Akani Simbine, and the pressure’s on. Coleman hasn’t broken 10 seconds yet this year, which is uncharacteristic for him. But if we’re being honest, the struggles we’re seeing are tied to the very things he needs to improve.
Once known for his explosive starts, Christian Coleman has repeatedly fallen behind in the opening phase of races, a critical flaw in sprinting. After the Xiamen Diamond League, “First few races haven’t gone exactly as expected, but the good thing is I know what I’m capable ofI feel it every day in practice.” Despite solid training form, Coleman has admitted to struggling under race pressure.
In an interview with Pulse Sports Nigeria, he said, “I know I’ve been executing well in practice, but when it comes to race day, something’s off. It’s frustrating,” pointing to misunderstanding between preparation and performance. Adding to the turbulence is a major coaching shift; Coleman left his longtime coach and joined Dennis Mitchell, who also trains Sha’Carri Richardson. While Coleman sees promise, the adjustment has been bumpy.
“It’s a process learning new rhythms and philosophies,” he said, explaining that his “mechanical style may not be syncing” with Mitchell’s aggressive approach. Mentally, Coleman is still rebounding from the disappointment of the 2024 Olympic Trials, where he placed fourth in both the 100m and 200m. “That was tough. I didn’t run like myself,” he said. “I’ve got unfinished business.”
The pressure to bounce back, combined with technical and strategic challenges, has kept him off the podium in 2025 so far. So, if Christian Coleman wants to bounce back, he’s got to get back to basics—tighten up those starts with focused drills and maybe even some sports psych to get his head right under pressure. And honestly, syncing up better with Coach Mitchell’s style could be the key—once they fully click, that old fire might just come roaring back.
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