“Now I’m a world champion and nobody will be able to ever take that away from me.” That was Christian Coleman’s declaration to the world six years ago when he dropped a 9.76s finish in Doha— bold, defiant, etched in gold. Back then, his words weren’t just prideful, they were almost prophetic. Every time the starter’s pistol cracked, it wasn’t just the start of a race — it was the sound of a king being crowned. Stadiums fell silent in suspense when he ran, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone — a blur of muscle and fire. But six years can change everything…

Today, the roar of the crowd isn’t quite as certain. The spotlight still finds Coleman, but it shares its glow with younger stars and hungrier challengers. To this point, this year, the 29-year-old has yet to win an individual track event. The only first-place finish came on April 19, in the men’s 4x100m relay at the Tom Jones Memorial. However, his most recent race was in the Star Athletics Sprint Series, where he stood second in the men’s 100m final. Seeing all these happenings, Coach Rob had something to say. 

In his latest YouTube video (June 16), Coach Rob brought up the discussion of Christian Coleman’s horrible run on the track. There, he said, “He [Christian Coleman] doesn’t have any more medals of any color from that 2019 moment up until now. He’s still competing on the pro circuit.”  The words pierce deep with another fact. 

At the Star Athletics Sprint Series, Christian Coleman faced a string of surprising defeats — first in the heats, then in the final. In the prelims, it was 18-year-old high school sensation Maurice Gleaton Jr. who crossed the line ahead of him. And in the final showdown, the electronic board told a different story: Brandon Hicklin was the one in the winner’s spot.

For an athlete who once stunned the world by beating Usain Bolt at the World Championships, and who turned heads with a blistering 4.12-second 40-yard dash in response to the NFL Combine’s top mark, these recent results feel hard to digest. Yet amid the shifting landscape, one figure isn’t losing hope — Coach Rob still sees potential for Noah Lyles to raise his game on the track.

In the latter half of the podcast, the respected coach reflected candidly: “Maybe he’ll [Christian Coleman] get a medal. But then again, maybe he won’t. Again, it just is what it is.” So, what about Coleman? Has he broken his silence on this rough patch in his career?

Christian Coleman could make a fairy tale comeback

This season, Christian Coleman has his sights firmly set on making Team USA for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. As a former world champion, expectations are naturally high — fans anticipate fireworks every time he steps onto the track. But things haven’t gone according to plan.

Back in April, Coach Rob offered a candid assessment of Coleman’s performances: “When you’re the defending champion for this meeting multiple times over, you do become the star of the show…it’s now been multiple races where we’ve more or less gotten the same script. He doesn’t really get as big a lead as we…But if you don’t really have much of a lead and the field makes a move, they move away from you.” Still, Coleman isn’t backing down.

In May, he responded with a message of resilience and self-belief. “First few races haven’t gone exactly as expected,” he admitted in a social media post. “But the good thing is I know what I’m capable of, I feel it every day in practice.” With a renewed focus, he added, “The challenge is pulling that out and putting it on the track. Enjoying the process and the journey I believe in me.” It’s a reminder that while results may waver, the fire inside a champion doesn’t fade easily.