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Usain Bolt has made his feelings clear on sprinter who 'broke' his 100m record with 'illegal' run

Home> Athletics

Published 21:15 20 May 2025 GMT+1

Usain Bolt has made his feelings clear on sprinter who 'broke' his 100m record with 'illegal' run

Usain Bolt is the current world record holder for both the 100m and the 200m.

Marcus Chan

Marcus Chan

Usain Bolt has previously made his feelings clear on Justin Gatlin, who 'broke' the Jamaican's world record with an 'illegal' run.

Ever since 2008, Bolt has held the world record for the 100m event.

The Jamaican first broke the record during a Grand Prix meet in New York, where he clocked a time of 9.72 seconds.

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He then went quicker during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, running a stunning time of 9.69 seconds in the 100m final.

A year later, Bolt broke his own world record again when he clocked 9.58 at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Since then, many have tried and failed to get close to the Jamaican's record, raising questions over whether the time will ever be bettered.

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Back in 2011, one of Bolt's greatest rivals, American sprinter Gatlin, put in a blistering 100m time of 9.45 seconds live on Japanese television.

However, the American was given a helping hand by wind machines at his back that were capable of producing 25m/s speeds.

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

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.

The pair have shared the track on many occasions, but one incident stands out.

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Back in 2011, it was claimed that Gatlin spat in Bolt's lane. The Jamaican said on the Ready Set Go Podcast: “I remember the first time I competed with Justin, he spat across my lane, the first time I met him.

“We were in, I think it was Zagreb, and we were competing.

“You know when you warm up and you're running out of your blocks? I was walking back and he was walking towards me, and he kind of spat across the lane in front of me.”

After recognising the move was an attempt at intimidation, Bolt added: "I just looked up and smiled because I knew he was trying to intimidate me. But I wasn’t worried about him.

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"The thing is, I was so focused. I don’t even think at that moment I was trying to do any of those little petty mind games, you know what I’m saying?"

Featured Image Credit: PUMA

Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics

Marcus Chan
Marcus Chan

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