London, 2017. The world held its breath. For the first time in nearly a decade, Usain Bolt wasn’t the first to cross the finish line in a global 100m final. Justin Gatlin, the man who had chased him for years, finally won. Yet, instead of celebration, Gatlin turned and bowed to Bolt. But it wasn’t always like this. Their rivalry had been ruthless, a clash of dominance and defiance. Bolt had denied Gatlin on the biggest stages, but in 2015, the roles were reversed. And this time, mind games made all the difference!
Bolt found himself in an unfamiliar position at the 2015 World Championships after a season riddled with doubts and injuries. He wasn’t sure going into the finals, but Usain Bolt noticed something!
His biggest American rival, Justin Gatlin, did something unexpected in the warm-up area. “Throughout the years of competing, Justin has never said anything to me before a championship. Never! He has never said anything to me.” Bolt said on the Ready Set Podcast on 27th February. Bolt sat there, two chairs away from Gatlin, when suddenly he heard him speak. “I don’t remember what he said. Like you said, ‘Yo, you ready to go?’ 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 that. I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, cool.”
Then Gatlin said something else. That’s when it clicked. “And I was like, ah, shit. He’s nervous. And that helped because now I know he’s nervous. I’m nervous.” For the first time in his career, Bolt was the one chasing. “Remember, I ain’t running shit all season. This is the first time I’ve ever been in the 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.”
But at that moment, Bolt knew—if Gatlin was truly confident, he wouldn’t have spoken.“Because if he was confident in going in there like, oh, this is like his normal days, I would have been in trouble. But he was nervous. We’re good. We’re good. That gave me a little bit more confidence going in.”
Mind games between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin in 2015 at the World Championships!
Still one of the best rivalries of this century.pic.twitter.com/8qsvNtMjnv
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) February 27, 2025
The story is developing…
The post Usain Bolt Gets Real About Using Mind Games to Defeat American Rival After Underdog Season appeared first on EssentiallySports.
