BIRMINGHAM, UK — American champion Christian Coleman headlines a very strong men’s 100 meters field at the Müller Grand Prix, an IAAF Diamond League meet, set for 18 August.
Coleman won the national short sprint title at the U.S. Trials last weekend with a time of 9.99 seconds and he will enter the meeting in Birmingham as the fastest man this year over the distance.
The 23-year-old leads the world with a swift 9.81 seconds, set at the Prefontaine Classic at Stanford in June. He has also posted sub-9.90 seconds times of 9.85 and 9.86 and has five performances overall this season under 10 secs.
Coleman, who is well known for his bullet start and acceleration over the opening 40 meters, is the reigning IAAF World Championships 100m silver medallist from London and holds the world indoor 60m record with 6.34 secs, which he set in 2018.
The sprinter also went on to win the world indoor 60m title in Birmingham, later in the year in 6.37.
Canada’s Andre de Grasse, who recently returned from injury to finish second over 100m at his country’s national championships, is among the list of stars scheduled to take on Coleman.
De Grasse is a three-time medallist from the 2016 Olympic and has won two bronze medals at the 2015 world championships.
So far this season, the 24-year-old has posted sub-10 times of 9.99 secs at the Müller Anniversary Games in London and 9.99 at the Canadian championships.
Also included in the field are Jamaican champion Yohan Blake and Commonwealth and African champion Akani Simbine of South Africa.
Blake, who has four Olympic medals, including two goals, is also the 2011 world champion over the 100m.
Four-time European gold medal winner Adam Gemili of Great Britain is also listed among the starters. Gemili finished seventh last year in this event.
The Müller Grand Prix in Birmingham is the 11th stop in the 2019 IAAF Diamond League meeting.
