Justin Gatlin, a world-class American sprinter, is like all others in his field in one way: Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, overshadows them. Well, Bolt may still be able to stake that claim, but he was beaten by Gatlin in Rome yesterday by one-one hundredth of a second.
Gatlin was timed at 9.94 seconds in the 100-meter-dash at the Golden Gala in Rome, while Bolt was literally right behind him at 9.95. Gatlin has not lost a 100-meter-dash this year, and could threaten Bolt's "fastest man" status at the world championships in Moscow later this summer.
"This year, I just want to be able to put together a better race, give him some competition when he's at his top form, to make it a more epic race," Gatlin said. "He's a legend. He's done great things and I just want to go out there and just fight to the end."
Bolt played it cool after the loss when speaking with reporters. "For me it is just going through the season," Bolt said. "Put things together for the world championships. The season is still very early."
The Jamaican pointed to Gatlin's perfect start as something that threw him off, and said he would get back to work improving his strength so he can get out of the blocks faster.
"That was ridiculous - a perfect start and then I just cropped off," Bolt said. "I think it was this perfect start that threw my game off. I have to do more strength work, I guess. I think it needs just some time to get it all back together. At the end it was just not me."
Gatlin said it was a privilege to even race against Bolt, one of the world's greatest sprinters ever, let alone defeat him.
"I don't keep count of how many people have beaten Bolt. But I can say it's an honor to be able to race against him," Gatlin said. "He's been an inspiration for the sport. He's brought so much to the sport that it has never had before, so he's inspired me to be a better runner and a better entertainer for the fans."
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