Usain Bolt gave his unique in depth experience of his rivalry with Justin Gatlin and winning the epic 100m showdown at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.
Track legends Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin established one of the greatest rivalries in athletics history, having dominated the men’s sprint division from 2008 to 2017.
On the Ready Set Go podcast alongside prominent track icon Rodney Green, the duo came back together again reminiscing their rivalry and career, while focusing on the 2015 World Championships in Beijing which Bolt narrowly won ahead of Gatlin.
Usain Bolt narrowly defeated Justin Gatlin to the 100m gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing
The Jamaican sprint legend revealed how he clocked Gatlin was nervous during their rare conversation before the race, which built his confidence into believing he could win the race.
“I don’t remember what he said and I looked at him like, ‘Huh!?’ I was surprised because I didn’t expect him to say nothing. ‘I’m like, yeah, yeah, cool,’ and then he said something else to me and I was like, ‘Oh sh*t, he’s nervous,’ and that helped because now I know, ‘He’s nervous, I’m nervous’ because, remember, I’m running sh*t all season. This is the first time I’ve ever been in this season; I’m the one doing the chasing. We’re always either together or he’s chasing me. This is the first season; I’m the one chasing him,” recalled the eight-time Olympic Gold medallist.
Bolt went on to win the race narrowly, leaning at the line to beat Gatlin 9.79 to 9.80 seconds. By doing this, he joined Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene on a record three 100 m world titles.
He succeeded again in the 200m, clocking 19.55s – His fifth-fastest run ever over the distance. Finally, he anchored the Jamaican 4x100m squad to another victory, completing his haul of three gold medals at the championship.
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