Desmond coleman competes in world U20 championships
After being redshirted for the 2021-2022 season and not competing in any meets for Liberty, newcomer Desmond Coleman looks to tear through the competition as what could be Liberty’s newest track and field star.
Although Coleman has yet to compete as a Flame, the 19-year-old has amounted quite the list of accolades in men’s discus thus far — many of which came for him this summer.
Coleman began summer competition in May, placing fourth at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier — a meet which he felt sparked a desire to take his game to the next level.
“Liberty Twilights is when it clicked for me,” Coleman said. “I was getting into my best part right around this time, and I knew I needed to start taking it seriously.”
Not even two months later, (and two days after his 19th birthday), Coleman would go on to celebrate a huge victory at the USATF U20 men’s discus title June 25 at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Coleman claimed the win after unleashing an incredible throw of 197-2 in the third round, holding off the competitive duo of Sam Houston State’s Kevin Grubbs and Wichita’s State Ridge Estes, earning second and third place, respectively.
“I think I actually took the competition as like a birthday gift,” Coleman said. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I won and qualified for Team USA?’ And I did, which was just an awesome moment in my life.”
Capturing this victory paved the way for Coleman to qualify for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, where he would be representing Team USA as a thrower in the men’s discus title.
However, while Coleman had already reached an incredible goal at the young age of 19, it doesn’t mean that the road to get there was absent of hardship.
“It was a battle physically and mentally to get this point,” Coleman said. “Physically I knew I had to get stronger to really compete, especially transferring from a high school to a college level. It was a challenge mentally for sure because I couldn’t really see family during the summer. And that kind of pushed me through the anxiety of it all and the moment the cameras are showing, I knew it was time to go, and it was time to win.”
Coleman finished seventh in the men’s discus final at the U20 Championships after reaching a new personal best with a throw of 198-3 on his third and final attempt. This marked the best finish at this meet by a Team USA men’s discus thrower since 2012.
As the 2022-23 season for Liberty’s track and field inches closer, Coleman’s goals remain the same.
“My goal is definitely to hit the metal,” Coleman said. “My second throw is what cost me at the U20 Championships, so I know I need to get stronger. Anything is possible. I just want to win.”
Coleman and the Flames will open the new season at the Liberty Kickoff in Lynchburg, Virginia, Dec. 1 at 12 p.m. ET.
TREADWAY is a sports reporter.