Usain Bolt's 100m world record was 'beaten' by his toughest opponent but didn't officially count for one reason

Usain Bolt's 100-metre world record was once beaten by a sprinter he described as his 'toughest' opponent - but the time didn't count as an official record.

Bolt ran a time of 9.58 at the 2009 World Athletics Championships at Berlin, smashing a record that he had only set himself three years earlier.

The Jamaican clocked a 9.69 in the Olympic final at Beijing 2008, and his time of 9.63 in the final four years later in London means he holds the three quickest 100-metre times in athletics history.

In 2011, Bolt's former rival Justin Gatlin did beat 9.58 while appearing on a Japanese TV show - though there was a significant technicality.

While appearing on 'Kasupe!', Gatlin was challenged to run the 100 metres faster than Bolt - with the assistance of wind machines that went up to 25m/s.

That meant the time was ran in about an illegal a tailwind as you could possibly have, barring the middle of a natural disaster.

You can check out the full clip of Gatlin's run below.

In comparison, Bolt's record saw him run in winds of +0.9m/s - meaning that in equal circumstances, his record would have been much faster.

Gatlin's achievement was recognised by the American receiving a Guinness World Record plaque on the show, although the time of course didn't count.

Bolt once described a race involving Gatlin as the 'hardest race' he had ever been involved in after battling back from an injury.

The American won a silver medal behind Bolt by a hundredth at the 2015 World Athletics Championships, with Bolt stating afterwards: "Coming back from injury I've had a lot of doubters, it's been tough.

"For me to come to the championships and defend my title is a good feeling. I definitely think this was my hardest race. I've been through a lot this season."