World Indoor Athletics Championships 2024: Christian Coleman beats Noah Lyles to win gold in the 60m

March 1, 2024, 10:02 p.m. GMT

Updated 4 minutes ago

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2024 World Indoor Athletics Championships: Christian Coleman beats Noah Lyles to win gold

American Christian Coleman defeated compatriot Noah Lyles as he stormed to gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

The 27-year-old world record holder Coleman clocked a world-leading time of 6.41 seconds to claim an impressive victory.

Reigning 100m and 200m world champion Lyles, unable to add anything to his growing list of global sprint titles, crossed the finish line in 6.44.

Jamaican Ackeem Blake beat Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala in 6.46 seconds to take bronze.

Elsewhere, Britain's Morgan Lake finished sixth in the women's high jump final.

The 26-year-old started the championship with medal ambitions but was unable to better her final lap performance of 1.92 meters as Australian Nicola Olyslagers beat Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh to gold.

Great Britain team captain Laviai Nielsen qualified for Saturday's 400m final and Jemma Reekie secured her place in Sunday's 800m medal race.

GB will also have two representatives in the women's 1500m final – the final event of the weekend – in Georgia Bell and Revee Walcott-Nolan, while Adam Fogg progressed in the men's event after stumbling.

Among the five gold medalists on the opening day of competition at the Emirates Arena, American Ryan Crouser and Canada's Sarah Mitton were also crowned shot put champions, while Netherlands' Sofie Doctor won the women's pentathlon.

Coleman eclipses Lyles in Friday's grand final

Showman Lyles announced himself as Usain Bolt's long-awaited athletics successor by winning a remarkable triple gold at the World Championships in Budapest, which included success in the 4x100m relay.

And the 26-year-old has revealed his intention to aim even higher this year, hinting he could even add the 4x400m relay to his goals as part of a Golden Quadruple in Paris.

But on the opening night of action at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, it was Coleman who stole the spotlight.

Lyles, who is primarily a 200m runner, set a personal best of 6.43m in the 60m in Boston in February – a time that brought him just 0.1 seconds shy of Coleman's 2018 record.

Coleman, part of the successful United States 4x100m team in Budapest, equaled the world lead in his semifinal before going even faster when it mattered most in the final.

It was a rare setback for Lyles, who wants to continue to assert himself as the athlete to beat at the Paris Olympics, but his progress over the shorter distance will leave him full of confidence at the start of what could be a historic year.