“Now I’m a world champion and nobody will be able to ever take that away from me.” This was Christian Coleman’s message to the world 6 years ago, when he lifted the 100m world champion crown. Proud. Confident. But 6 years down the line, things have changed. Competitors have gotten faster, and that same Coleman was smoked by an 18-year-old twice in a day! Imagine: the pro sprinter ran a sub-10 time and still lost. That’s because the teenager opposite him was just too good for his age!

We’re talking about Maurice Gleaton, the man who not just left Christian Coleman in the dust twice, but did that with a complimentary cold stare down along the finish line. He first ran a 9.87 in the heats and then doubled down with a 9.82 in the finals at the Star Athletics Sprint Series, whereas Coleman ended up with 10.03 seconds in the heats and was third in the finals in 9.93 seconds. However, Gleaton’s raw speed has led an American Coach to take notice of him. Because it’s not every day that someone gives the pros a run for their money.

On June 13, Coach Rob Track and Field addressed the Maurice Gleaton situation by saying, “But as of now, Maurice Gleaton Jr. just went out there and ran. I mean, as far as I can tell, he was running with the pros. And he was out in front. He didn’t just do it once. He did it twice….” This made Coach Rob confident that Maurice Gleaton is going to have a lot of offers knocking on his door, because, “When you can beat those types of men, somebody’s going to want to invest in you and your talent.”

Coach Rob also warned that with Maurice Gleaton’s win over Christian Coleman, “maybe we’re getting ready for a changing of the guard in American sprinting.” He then explained that the big names like Noah Lyles, Coleman, Fred Kerley, and all, ” Like all of these men have had at least one year where they either got a gold medal or multiple in different points. But when they lost, at least for that year, the only people ahead of them were American. That’s what I mean by the Avengers.” So the crux of the matter is that if you want to represent Team USA in the men’s short sprints, “You have to go through the Avengers.” And Maurice Gleaton just proved he is one!

No wonder Coach Rob feels, “Maybe Maurice Leighton Jr. has that type of talent.” Although he wasn’t sure on how Maurice’s future would look like, but when it came to his speed, Coach Rob could bet all his money on this teen, “I have no idea how this movie will end, but I do know that it’s just getting good because Maurice Leighton Jr., on my list, is the best sprinter in the class of 2025. And I dare anybody to challenge that.” And why wouldn’t Coach Rob be this sure? After all, Gleaton’s resume looks fiery! On April 25, he set a state record in the 100 meters, becoming the first to run it in under 10 seconds, at 9.98 seconds, passing Christian Coleman’s time of 10.16 seconds set in 2015.

But Gleaton isn’t just fast on the track. He’s also proud of his speed and achievements at this age. This is why when he beat Christian Coleman, the win was followed by a little altercation between the two off the track.

Maurice Gleaton apologized to Christian Coleman

After Maurice Gleaton registered his wins against Christian Coleman, he took to his Instagram and boasted with a story that read, “@coleman? now run tell dat 9.82 you rolled.” But he soon hit the realization that he shouldn’t have done this. After all, just look at the seniority. Coleman has been running for way longer, and he has accomplished much more in the sport.

This is why Maurice Gleaton was also quick to apologize. Christian Coleman added a story that showed a screenshot of his chat with Maurice, where the 18-year-old was seen apologising, “whats up christian I wanted to apologize about the altercation earlier with you and sha’carri I respect what you told me right after the race I didn’t mean to be disrespectful or anything…..” He continued assuring Coleman that he really looks up to him and is looking forward to meeting him the right way sometime.

Well, Christian Coleman was quick to forgive him, too. He called him a “young bull,” hinting that everything is fine between the two. Well, this is good news because Gleaton’s quite early in his career. It’s best if he doesn’t pick up rivals right away, when Coach Rob and many others are waiting to see how his future unfolds!