Gatlin, who received a mixed reception from the crowd during his semi-final, recorded a rapid time of 9.77 and will arguably be the favourite following Bolt’s earlier stumble.
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In the second of three semifinals, Gatlin will face compatriot Mike Rodgers – another American to have served a doping ban – after the 30-year-old was second behind Bolt in 9.97.
New IAAF president Sebastian Coe said during his campaign he would feel “queasy” if Gatlin beats Bolt in Sunday’s final due to the American’s history of offenses.
Bolt has been struggling with injury and form during Gatlin’s comeback streak and on Saturday even his showboating was turned off. Beyond a few perfunctory waves and smiles, it was all business from the bearded Bolt.
Gatlin, who won the 100 at the 2004 Olympics before serving a four-year suspension for doping, is unbeaten in 2015 and had the season-leading time of 9.74 heading into the championships. Except for the time he false-started in the 100 at the 2011 worlds, he has won every sprint at an Olympics or world championships since 2008.
His time of 27 minutes and 1.13 seconds was 0.04 faster than the Olympic record set at the same Bird’s Nest stadium by Kenenisa Bekele in 2008.
Bolt, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday, was slow out of the blocks but once he was fully upright he used his massive strides to make victory look easy. “I’ve been running good, my start has come together at the right time, I’m happy so I’m ready to go”. I still have some adjustments, just have to concentrate on my technique now.
The 33-year-old American, a world and Olympic champion before the rise of Bolt and his four-year doping ban, will perhaps regret dipping for the line quite so far out, a move which disrupted his rhythm and reduced his speed.
With all three competitors pretty even in the 800, the biggest rivalry at this year’s world championships could well be for silver. With two more solid performances in the long jump and the javelin on Sunday, the Olympic champion – then known as Jessica Ennis – closed in on her second world title, six years after her first. I was trying to do as much as possible just to get through the rounds….
Barring a major upset, the gold medal will be contested by Storl and Kovacs, the only two men registering throws of beyond 22 metres this year with three Diamond League wins apiece. “But you’d have to be stupid to write off Bolt because we’ve seen him do awesome things”. But the local organizing committee took steps to improve air quality during the world championships by cutting down on pollution from nearby factories and limiting the amount of cars on the road in the lead-up to the competition.
Bolt kept on powering along in celebration, and when he returned, Gatlin gave him a warm hug.
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The 20-kilometer walk offers the first of five world championship gold medals up for grabs on Day 2, which culminates with the marquee men’s 100-meter final.
