It was Gatlin’s race to lose as he had clocked 9.77 seconds in the semifinals, faster than Bolt’s winning timing.
Advertisement
On Sunday at the world championships in Beijing, the United States’ Justin Gatlin and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt faced off for the first time since 2013.
After the semi-finals it appeared the final would deliver a Gatlin win when the American ran the fastest semi in a time of 9.77s, the fifth fastest in the world this year. American Trayvon Bromell and Canadian Andre de Grasse shared the bronze in a dead heat. Bolt ran his season best of 9.79, Gatlin finished in 9.80.
Usain Bolt overcame the doubters and the form book to beat controversial rival Justin Gatlin to 100m gold at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing Sunday.
Bolt, the reigning Olympic champion has not been crushed within the 100m or 200m in six main worldwide championships going again to 2007, though he was disqualified from the shorter race on the Deagu world championships in 2011.
And at a time when its world governing body, the worldwide Association of Athletics Federations, is fighting off accusations it has not done enough to combat doping, a Gatlin win would have been one it was dreading.
The race had been billed as a sporting version of good versus evil with Gatlin, who has twice served bans after failing drugs tests, wearing the black hat. Bolt had bolted. It was his third world title over 100m and, for us as much as for him, the most satisfying of them all.
“It’s all about running the race and getting it done”.
He also insisted he did not feel the pressure to win for his sport, only to continue his own global domination. “So I have the 200 and the 4x100m (relay) to represent my country”. It’s taken me a while to work things out.
“If I had to lose to anyone, it’d be to this man here”, he said of Bolt.
With Bolt racing infrequently over the past two years because of injuries, Gatlin had become the world’s dominant sprinter, bringing more attention to his doping past which included a four-year ban in 2006.
“And it’s all held together so I’m just happy”. My family are incredible, I have to thank my husband for all his support and my little boy.
Advertisement
Farah, who came through the youth and junior ranks alongside Bolt, has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent months, with his American coach Alberto Salazar accused of violating several anti-doping rules. Add in further that Bolt literally stumbled out of the gate, and it’s even more absurd. Silver went to Dilshod Nazarov of Tajikistan for his 78.55 throw, beating Wojciech Nowicki who took bronze on 78.55, but had poor results on the other attempts.
