World Indoor 60 metres bronze medallist Ronnie Baker emerged victorious from a hotly-contested 100m on Saturday’s opening day of the London Diamond League after injury struck his US team-mate and rival Christian Coleman.
Baker might have expected to challenge the 9.88 seconds leading time in the world this year he holds with Noah Lyles –- another American pushing for global prominence in the post-Usain Bolt era -– when he won his heat in a blistering 9.90sec at the London Stadium.
Coleman, the world indoor 60m champion, withdrew from his heat because of a hamstring problem, but Baker had to work hard to simply claim victory in the final, clocking 9.90sec again, after losing ground with a sluggish start
“I definitely felt fast today, running two 9.90s,” said Baker. “Consistency is what it’s about in sprinting, so I’m laying down a marker. Hopefully I can take that world lead and better it.”
Coleman has been struggling to overcome a hamstring problem all summer and, despite returning after a 44-day absence with a 100m victory in Rabat eight days ago, the 22-year-old American suffered a recurrence on the warm-up track before the heats.
Source: AFP
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