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SPORTS Wednesday 25 september 2019
History lesson: Coleman learns from past, tries to move on

By EDDIE PELLS and PAT that into something I can
GRAHAM make money doing," Cole-
AP Sports Writers man said. "I'm just really
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Chris- blessed the situation was
tian Coleman never in- resolved."
tended to take a crash How might the fans react if
course on the history of his Coleman wins the final on
sport. He got one anyway. Saturday? Justin Gatlin, the
Among the main lessons defending champion who
the sprinter learned: Any- himself has served a pair
time track fans see the of doping bans, said he
words "doping" and "Amer- reached out to Coleman
ican" in the same headline — both went to University
— and it has happened of Tennessee — and told
an awful lot over the years him to put it out of his mind.
— things usually don't end "You (can get) consumed
well. by social media and peo-
The 23-year-old favorite in ple's opinions," said Gatlin,
the 100 meters has never whose victory in 2017 was
doped, or even been ac- greeted with boos from an
cused of doping. But since unforgiving crowd in Lon-
his name made headlines don. "Opinions hold a lot
for missing some tests, he of weight sometimes and
finds himself part of a news it can get to you. Why not In this Aug. 31, 2018, file photo, Christian Coleman, of the United States, gestures after crossing the
cycle that he'd really like to (let it) have the opposite finish line first in the men's 100 meter competition at the Diamond League Memorial Van Damme
break. His chance comes effect, where you just really athletics event in Brussels.
Friday when the men focus on positivity?"q Associated Press
line up for heats at world
championships.
"As far as people taking
that headline and jump-
ing to a conclusion, 'Oh,
he has to be doing some-
thing,' I think people think
that anyway, because of
the history of U.S. sprint-
ing," Coleman said Tues-
day night after a steamy
workout at the practice
stadium in Doha. "People
just assume and make up
storylines anyway, but then
when you have a situation
like that, I can understand
why people would think
that."
Coleman, who holds the
fastest time in the 100 over
each of the last three years,
got ensnared in the dop-
ing drama after word of his
so-called whereabouts fail-
ures leaked to the media
last month. The U.S. Anti-
Doping Agency ended up
dropping the case over a
technicality in a very con-
fusing rulebook. But that
didn't prevent Coleman
from enduring damage in
the court of public opinion.
Coleman most certainly is
not in the same category
as some of the people he's
been reading about of
late — Tim Montgomery,
Marion Jones, Tyson Gay,
among other big-name
Americans to get busted
for doping over the years.
"I'm just a regular guy who
had talent and the where-
withal to be able to hone