University of Tennessee Athletics
VFLs Gatlin, Coleman to Pursue American Record at Tennessee Relays
April 04, 2018 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee track legends Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman will team up with Mike Rodgers and Ronnie Baker in an attempt to break the 4x100-meter relay American record next week at the Tennessee Relays.Â
The record pursuit, presented by Pro Form Sports, will headline a day of relays and field events Saturday, April 14, at 2:10 p.m. at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium.Â
Admission is free to all sessions of the Tennessee Relays, which will be held April 12-14.Â
Gatlin and Coleman need little introduction to Tennessee fans, but it is one of the few chances to see them back in action at Tom Black Track.Â
Gatlin, a five-time Olympic medalist, most recently won gold in the 100m and earned silver in the 4x100m relay with Coleman at last year's IAAF world championships. He won six NCAA championships for the Vols and led the squad to the 2001 outdoor and 2002 indoor NCAA team titles.Â
Coleman, who won all four NCAA sprint titles for the Vols last year, set the indoor 60m world record (6.34 seconds) and won the IAAF world indoor title in the event earlier this year.Â
The American record is currently 37.38 seconds set twice with Gatlin on both teams and Rodgers on one. Team USA first set the record in 2012 in London (Jeffery Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons, Gatlin) and matched it in 2015 at Nassau (Rodgers, Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey).
Justin Gatlin: Gatlin is a five-time Olympic medalist and a five-time IAAF world champion. The 36-year-old won gold in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Games and most recently took silver in the event in the 2016 Games. He is the reigning world champion in the 100m, winning in London over Coleman and Usain Bolt. He has won a stunning 25 titles in the IAAF Diamond League. Gatlin, from Woodham, Florida, won six consecutive NCAA sprint titles during his Tennessee career, the most individual national titles for any Vol in program history. He helped lead the Vols to a pair of national team championships: the 2001 outdoor and the 2002 indoor. His fastest 100m time is 9.74 seconds.Â
Christian Coleman: A native of Atlanta, Coleman is now the fastest man in the 60m after setting the world record (6.34 seconds) and winning the IAAF world championship in the event a month later. He won five NCAA championships for Tennessee, including all four sprint titles last year (60m and 200m indoors; 100m and 200m outdoors) and was named the USTFCCCA national runner of the year during both seasons. In December, he was honored with the Bowerman Award as the top collegiate track & field athlete. He started his professional career after the 2017 outdoor season and took second to Gatlin in the 100m at the IAAF world outdoor championships.Â
Mike Rodgers: Rodgers grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and eventually ran college track at Lindenwood University and Oklahoma Baptist University where he won NAIA national championships from 2005-07. Rodgers has been a frequent member of Team USA's sprint relay teams and was on the silver-medal 4x100m teams at the IAAF World Championships in 2013 and 2017. The 32-year-old is a five-time USATF national champion and has six career victories in the IAAF Diamond League. His top legal 100m time is 9.85 seconds.Â
Ronnie Baker: A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Baker was a two-time NCAA 60m indoor champion for TCU in 2015 and 2016. The 24-year-old has been running professionally the last two years, winning the USATF 60m title last year and coming in second earlier this year to Coleman in a career-best time of 6.40. He took third in the event at the IAAF World Championships last month. His best non-wind aided 100m outdoor time is 9.98 seconds. Â
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE RELAYS
The 51st running of the Tennessee Relays will be held April 12-14 at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium. Admission is free to all sessions and events. More than 15 schools are scheduled to participate alongside the Tennessee Volunteers.Â
The record pursuit, presented by Pro Form Sports, will headline a day of relays and field events Saturday, April 14, at 2:10 p.m. at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium.Â
Admission is free to all sessions of the Tennessee Relays, which will be held April 12-14.Â
Gatlin and Coleman need little introduction to Tennessee fans, but it is one of the few chances to see them back in action at Tom Black Track.Â
Gatlin, a five-time Olympic medalist, most recently won gold in the 100m and earned silver in the 4x100m relay with Coleman at last year's IAAF world championships. He won six NCAA championships for the Vols and led the squad to the 2001 outdoor and 2002 indoor NCAA team titles.Â
Coleman, who won all four NCAA sprint titles for the Vols last year, set the indoor 60m world record (6.34 seconds) and won the IAAF world indoor title in the event earlier this year.Â
The American record is currently 37.38 seconds set twice with Gatlin on both teams and Rodgers on one. Team USA first set the record in 2012 in London (Jeffery Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons, Gatlin) and matched it in 2015 at Nassau (Rodgers, Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey).
Justin Gatlin: Gatlin is a five-time Olympic medalist and a five-time IAAF world champion. The 36-year-old won gold in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Games and most recently took silver in the event in the 2016 Games. He is the reigning world champion in the 100m, winning in London over Coleman and Usain Bolt. He has won a stunning 25 titles in the IAAF Diamond League. Gatlin, from Woodham, Florida, won six consecutive NCAA sprint titles during his Tennessee career, the most individual national titles for any Vol in program history. He helped lead the Vols to a pair of national team championships: the 2001 outdoor and the 2002 indoor. His fastest 100m time is 9.74 seconds.Â
Christian Coleman: A native of Atlanta, Coleman is now the fastest man in the 60m after setting the world record (6.34 seconds) and winning the IAAF world championship in the event a month later. He won five NCAA championships for Tennessee, including all four sprint titles last year (60m and 200m indoors; 100m and 200m outdoors) and was named the USTFCCCA national runner of the year during both seasons. In December, he was honored with the Bowerman Award as the top collegiate track & field athlete. He started his professional career after the 2017 outdoor season and took second to Gatlin in the 100m at the IAAF world outdoor championships.Â
Mike Rodgers: Rodgers grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and eventually ran college track at Lindenwood University and Oklahoma Baptist University where he won NAIA national championships from 2005-07. Rodgers has been a frequent member of Team USA's sprint relay teams and was on the silver-medal 4x100m teams at the IAAF World Championships in 2013 and 2017. The 32-year-old is a five-time USATF national champion and has six career victories in the IAAF Diamond League. His top legal 100m time is 9.85 seconds.Â
Ronnie Baker: A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Baker was a two-time NCAA 60m indoor champion for TCU in 2015 and 2016. The 24-year-old has been running professionally the last two years, winning the USATF 60m title last year and coming in second earlier this year to Coleman in a career-best time of 6.40. He took third in the event at the IAAF World Championships last month. His best non-wind aided 100m outdoor time is 9.98 seconds. Â
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE RELAYS
The 51st running of the Tennessee Relays will be held April 12-14 at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium. Admission is free to all sessions and events. More than 15 schools are scheduled to participate alongside the Tennessee Volunteers.Â
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