Ronnie Baker and Christian Coleman to Race 100 Meters, Emma Coburn to Make Season Debut in Rome

By Adam Kopet

Ronnie Baker and Christian Coleman will get a rematch five days after Baker beat Coleman in the 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic. The pair will square off Thursday in the 100 at the Rome Golden Gala, the fourth stop on the IAAF Diamond League tour, according to the event start list.

Baker won the men's 100 at the Prefontaine Classic in a wind-aided 9.78. Coleman finished second in 9.84. The race had a 2.4m/s tailwind, more than the 2.0m/s that is allowed for record purposes.

In Rome, seven of the nine entered athletes have personal bests under 10 seconds. Also in the field are Americans Mike Rodgers and Isiah Young, and the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor champion over 200 meters, Ramil Guliyev of Turkey.

In other action, Emma Coburn will be making her outdoor debut in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Coburn is the reigning IAAF World Outdoor champion in the steeplechase. She won in the championships in London last year in championship and American record 9:02.58.

Coburn will be joined by training partner Aisha Praught-Leer. She won Commonwealth Games gold last month in the steeplechase for Jamaica. In all, six women in the field have run under 9:10.