Justin Gatlin had a 28 race win streak headed into the 2015 IAAF World Athletic Championships at Beijing. However, that streak would come to a dramatic end at the hands of Usain Bolt in a Sunday thriller.
Competing in the 100m, Gatlin finished second to Bolt by a ridiculously thin margin. The difference in their times? A stunning 0.01 seconds. The two were locked neck-and-neck until Gatlin stumbled and lost his form for a brief moment at the finish.
Podium – Bolt 9.79, Gatlin 9.80, de Grasse & Brommell 9.92. Gatlin has coasted to faster times this year. Pressure told on him.
— Ross Tucker (@Scienceofsport) August 23, 2015
While Bolt’s time of 9.79 seconds is his best of the year (his previous year-best had been 9.87 seconds), Gatlin’s race time of 9.80 seconds is a notably worse time than his year-best 9.74 seconds that he recorded in May.
Bolt has been dealing with injuries for the season, which made the win all the more meaningful to him.
“It definitely means a lot because I’ve been struggling all season,” he said. “Justin has been running great so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But after I joined him around 80m all I kept telling myself was run through the line. I could see him stumbling but it could have helped his momentum so I had to keep my focus.”
It’s hard to call any win by Usain Bolt an upset, but betting sites had Gatlin as the favorite going into the match and the year’s results have definitely favored the American over Bolt.
