The fact that we are well into Autumn of 2019 means we are not too far away from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It’s time to start assessing the possibilities of the various track and field events, especially the 100m Men’s.
Usain Bolt took the Gold in both 2012 and 2016. Justin Gatlin also medaled in the last two Olympics, taking Silver in Rio and Bronze in London. As we get closer to the Opening Ceremony, top sports betting sites around the globe will have odds on who will win the gold medal. But until then, we have to look at the current rankings and performances in the qualifying events.
The USA Holds Top Two
Christain Colman is the current World No. 1. He is followed closely by Justin Gatlin, who at the tender age of 37, still manages to be one of the fastest sprinters on the face of planet earth. There are a couple of other recent Olympic faces with podium experience. Yohan Blake, is ranked No. 5. Rember, he finished Silver behind Bolt in London, and Canada’s Andre De Grasse, who took Bronze in Brazil.
The current No. 3 and No. 4 is Akani Simbine of South Africa and Zharnel Hughs of Great Britain. Rounding out the World Top 10 is Michale Rodgers, Zhenye Xie, Noah Lyles, and Filipo Tortu in 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th respectively.
These rankings are as of October 22nd, 2019.
Christian Coleman
On September 28th, the 23-year-old Atlanta native placed 1st at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Khalifa International Stadium. He’s been so hot lately, that he will be the likely favorite to win Gold in Tokyo.
In June, he won the Prefontaine Classic and the Bislett Games in Oslo. He also came in second at the IAAF in Shanghai back in May. He’s never competed have Men’s 100m Olympic experience, but he does have Olympic experience in the 4×100 Men’s Relay. So, we shouldn’t expect the world’s biggest stage to give him the jitters and affect his performance, because he’s already stood under those bright lights.
Justin Gatlin
Way back in 2004, Justin Gatlin took the Gold in Athens. It’s amazing how long he has managed to stay at the top of the world rankings. Now, he’s 37 and will be 38 by the time the Tokyo Olympics take place.
The same IAAF competition that Christain Coleman won on September 28th, Justin Gatlin took second place with a time of 9.89 seconds. But in Hercules, Monaco in the middle of July, Gatlin placed first with at the time of 9.91. He also took second at the Prefontaine Classic with another sub-9.9 time. In his last four competitions, he’s won two and placed second at two. The only other man running faster is Coleman, who has had crazy-fast times as low as 9.76.
None of the other top competitors have finished with times below 9.9. Most are averaging around 9.95. The only other competitor to come close is Andre De Grasse who hit a 9.90 flat at the IAAF World Championships.
It will be exciting to see if anyone can step up and and catch these two’s times. Until July 24, we’ll be patiently waiting.
