Christian Coleman could seek 'deal' to let him compete at Tokyo Olympics

The American is facing a two-year ban after missing three tests in a 12-month window, but he claims anti-doping officials did not follow the correct procedure.

Coleman said he was out Christmas shopping on December 9, the date of the disputed test, but that officials did not try to contact him.

Athletes must provide doping authorities with their whereabouts information, including a one-hour window each day for testing.

The 24-year-old still hopes to compete at next summer’s rearranged Tokyo Games, saying a two-year ban would be "overkill".

“A [two-year ban] would just be very egregious,” Coleman said on the Flotrack podcast.

“I think that would be very, I don’t know, overkill. In situations in the past, I’ve seen people be suspended for only a year. If that’s the case, hopefully it can be a situation where it’s December to December or maybe May to May or from this day to next year, and I’ll still be good for the Olympics. That’s what’s most important.

“Even if we had to work out some sort of deal or anything, I don’t know, man, for me to just be suspended a year and still be available for the Olympics, I’m not sure, but I think in the rulebook it says two years. I’ve never seen that done or happen or anybody face that, so we’ll see. Everything’s just kind of like up in the air.”

Coleman insists he returned home before the end of the one-hour window,

“I know that I was there within the hour because I watched the beginning of the Monday Night Football game,” Coleman said.

“Of course, 'that’s he said, she said'. It’s not really much I can do. There’s no real proof of that.”

Coleman won the 100m title at the IAAF World Championships in Doha last summer.