Coleman beats Lyles in world indoor 60m head-to-head

American one-two in the much-anticipated men’s sprint final on a night that saw thrills and spills on the track

Six years ago Christian Coleman arrived in a snowy Birmingham when the ‘beast from the East’ was battering Britain with icy blasts. Taking to his blocks in the world indoor 60m final, he stormed to victory in a championship record of 6.37.

This time, on Friday (March 1) in Glasgow, the weather was a little milder outside the Emirates Arena. The result was the same, though, as he scorched to the title in a world leading mark of 6.41.

The race was billed as a big head-to-head with Noah Lyles, his US team-mate and the world 100m and 200m champion. Yet Coleman enjoyed a bullet start and was never threatened as Lyles finished three hundredths of a second behind with Ackeem Blake of Jamaica third in 6.46.

Lyles had beaten Coleman in the recent US Championships in Albuquerque but Coleman, who ideally suited to the 60m with his relatively short physique and explosive start, turned the tables here. “I had a lot of confidence in myself coming in,” he said. “I set my mind on letting my body do what I have been doing in practice and I came out with a win.”

Lyles was magnanimous in defeat, saying: “It feels like one of my best performances – 6.44, I’m never going to be dissatisfied with that. Last year I was running 6.51 and this year I’ve put down multiple 6.4s. And these are not small 6.4s either, I’m deep into 6.4 territory.

“The 60m is not my favourite race but now you can’t say I’m not one of the greats in it. I’m very excited for Paris because it has all my favourite events.”

Christian Coleman (Getty)

There was plenty of drama elsewhere on the track on Friday evening. After British middle-distance runners Georgia Bell and Revee Walcott-Nolan qualified comfortably from their women’s 1500m heats, it wasn’t so straightforward for Adam Fogg and Callum Elson in the men’s 1500m.

Fogg was tripped early in his heat and got up to chase down his rivals. The US-based athlete made good progress but the effort took its toll in the later stages and he faded to finish sixth in a heat won by Cole Hocker of the United States.

However, halfway through an interview with AW he heard he had been reinstated for the final.

There was no such luck for his team-mate Callum Elson, though, who pulled up with what appeared to…