"Want to see name higher on the podium"- Christian Coleman gets real about missing medal despite second fastest performance of the season

Seiko Golden Grand Prix - Source: Getty
Christian Coleman competes at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Christian Coleman opened up about missing the podium despite putting forward one of his best performances of the season at the Brussels Diamond League. The American athlete competed in the men's 200m and clocked 20.42s to finish fourth.

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Coleman had been struggling to register a podium-winning performance in major events since the Prefontaine Classic in the outdoor 2025 season. The 29-year-old failed to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in both the 100m and the 200m individual events at the USATF National Championships. He then shifted his focus to the Diamond League and made consecutive appearances in the Silesia and Brussels Diamond Leagues.

After missing the podium by a minute margin in the 100m at the Silesia Diamond League, Coleman marched onto the Brussels Diamond League and competed in the men's 200m against an incredible lineup of athletes. Christian Coleman clocked 20.42s, which was his second-fastest 200m race of the season, and finished fourth, thereby missing the podium once again. Alexander Ogando won the title with a performance of 20.16s, Robert Gregory clinched the silver medal after clocking 20.19s, and Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike won the bronze medal with a performance of 20.29s.

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Christian Coleman expressed his thoughts about his performance in a post-race interview and shared that he had been focusing on his race execution. He shared that despite putting forward his best, he could not register a podium finish, and an athlete always desires to see their name up on the finish list.

“Felt okay. I mean, I haven't run many 200s all year, so I have been really trying to try to execute a good race and just try to use it to prepare me, like you said, for next week going into Zurich. Felt like I executed that, but as a competitor, you know, you want to see your name higher up on the podium," he said.
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Furthermore, Christian Coleman spoke about his plans of competing in the relay at the World Championships in Tokyo and hoped to put forward his best effort at the Diamond League Finals in Zurich.

"Yeah, that's definitely the plan, try to go to Tokyo and accomplish, but first, lock in on the Diamond League Championship. I feel like I've got a really good opportunity there next week, so put all my chips in there and see what I can do and refocus and try to go to the relay and do the best what I can," he added.
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Christian Coleman opens up about his performance at the USATF Championships

Christian Coleman at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships - Source: Getty
Christian Coleman at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships - Source: Getty

Christian Coleman finished fifth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m at the USATF National Championships. The American athlete reflected on his performances in the meet and shared his thoughts in a detailed Instagram post.

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Coleman shared that he had worked very hard in the off-season despite tough circumstances and was able to deliver his season's best performance of 9.86s.

"Through it all, never made excuses. Never complained about circumstances. Never complained about circumstances. Never looked at obstacles, just opportunity. Just went to work and still showed up as me..one of the best ever," read an excerpt from his note.
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Even though he couldn't qualify for the World Championships, Christian Coleman was optimistic about getting better and improving in the future.

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Edited by Adityan Pillai
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