The Athletics Illustrated Person of the Week honour is awarded to Sebastian Coe for the week of June 29, 2020. For the second week in three months, the president of World Athletics earns Person of the Week honours.
Coe warned American sprinter Christian Coleman not to expect any deals in advance of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games happening in 2021.
Coleman is provisionally suspended for failing at least three times in a 12-month period to show up for a drugs test. 

Coleman’s excuse this time was that he was out Christmas shopping.

Coleman, who stormed to the world 100m title last October and was favourite for the blue riband event in Tokyo, is facing two years out of the sport after being provisionally suspended for three whereabouts failures in 12 months – the last of which occurred when he went Christmas shopping instead of being at his house when the testers were due to visit. However last week the 24-year-old American claimed that a two-year sentence would be “overkill” – before floating the possibility that “some sort of deal” might be agreed where he was suspended but could return for the Olympics.

Coe was direct with his statement about Coleman:

“If you’re hanging by a thread on one or even two [missed tests], then my instinct would be to be sitting by my front door for that hour. You wouldn’t risk not being there. If they fall foul of this regularly they will be banned. I can’t put it in any blunter way.”

Read The Guardian story here>>

Person of the Week for April 27: Sebastian Coe

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The Athletics Illustrated Person of the Week recognition is an endeavour that aims to recognise noteworthy or newsworthy achievements, actions or events in the sport of athletics by individuals who are involved or have affected the sport in some way.

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