Coleman Edges Prescod by a Thousandth in 100m

American Christian Coleman held off fast-finishing local favorite Reece Prescod to take the Birmingham Diamond League 100 meters title by one thousandth of a second on Saturday.

In a stacked field in Birmingham, Coleman blasted out of the blocks and looked away and clear after 60 meters but Prescod unwound his long limbs to close the gap. TV replays appeared to show that the Briton had done enough but he needed one more meter.

Coleman, feeling his way back after an injury-restricted year, won in 9.94 seconds. Prescod was given the same time – a lifetime best – but missed out by the smallest possible margin as the photo finish gave Coleman .938 to Prescod’s .939.

American Noah Lyles, the dominant figure this season, stumbled early on and was third in 9.98, just edging former world champion Yohan Blake (9.99), Reuters reported.

“I felt pretty good. It was a sigh of relief because you never know what to expect when you come back from injury and I got my rhythm back and I came out with the win in a good time,” said Coleman, who won the world indoor 60m title in Birmingham earlier this year.

Prescod, who was pipped by a hundredth for gold by fellow Briton Zharnel Hughes in the European championships, said: “It was tight again and I’ve just missed out again.”