Christian Coleman is one of the most promising track and field athletes of his time, and his fiery speed on the track has left the athletic fans awestruck quite a few times. He is one of the fewest runners who managed to defeat Usain Bolt in a competitive 100-meter event, and the runner has a handful of other such stunning accolades under his belt.

The three-time world champion has established himself as one of the best sprinting icons out there, and the athlete is not just finished yet. Despite being such a well-known figure in track and field, his mother candidly disclosed some surprising secrets about her track star son’s career choices, shedding light on aspects unknown to the athletics world.

Christian Coleman pursued a different dream in track and field

As per The Sun, to the surprise of many, running wasn’t Coleman’s primary career choice while growing up. It was American football and gymnastics, which were the sports that interested him the most in his early days, and he was also receiving formal training in gymnastics. Christian Coleman also found excitement in soccer at one point, but destiny had other plans for him. Talking about destiny, it was his father, Seth Coleman, who spotted the quickness in his son at a tender age.

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An interesting story lies behind it. The five-foot-nine-inch icon was afraid of vacuum cleaners when he was two, and it also led his parents to spot the speed in their son. “Every time we turned the vacuum cleaner on, he would turn and run and jump real fast on the sofa. The first time he did it, my husband almost lost his mind. He was like, ‘Oh my, God, did you see that? He said he could pivot and run at the same time, and he’s two. He’s like, ‘People can’t do that!” is what his mother, Dr. Daphne Coleman, told The Sun. Well, his dreams took a U-turn, and the story later unfolded into one of the greatest track-and-field success stories ever told.

What changed Coleman’s dreams

When the Georgia native used to play American football, he was one of the quickest running backs, and as per Chris Slade, the coach of Pace Academy’s revelation, it took 13 players to stop him. However, his football dreams could not blossom properly as the majority of the Division I schools did not show much interest in him due to his size. Because of the ignorance of the recruiters, Coleman shifted his focus on track and tried building a career in it. After facing all that negligence in football, Christian Coleman went to the University of Tennessee, where he honed his track and field skills.

However, his journey in Tennessee was not always a bed of roses, as he finished in a disappointing 15th place in the 100 and 200 events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman, which broke him as an athlete. But the sprinter rose from the ashes and went on a record-breaking spree in 100 meters (10.38), 200 meters (21.10), and the 4×100 meter relay (41.88). Later, he made it to the 2016 Olympic team, became a world champion, and never looked back.

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