Justin Gatlin in peak sprinting form as Rio Olympics near
U.S. sprinter a 'consistent winner' leading up to 100m showdown with Bolt
By Doug Harrison, CBC Sports
Justin Gatlin is healthy, determined and shaving precious seconds off the clock each time he races the 100 metres.
The United States sprinter is also inching closer to another showdown with six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, this time at the Rio Summer Games in August.
The 34-year-old Gatlin, who vowed in February to beat Bolt in Brazil, qualified for the Games with a 9.80-second performance at the U.S. trials on July 3.
"I'm one of the oldest sprinters around, yes," Gatlin told CBC Sports. "To be able to go out there and run as fast as I'm running … it's a relief. As I become an older athlete I know my habits, good and bad."
In May, Gatlin told Agence France-Presse he's smarter and wiser than the runner who lost to Bolt in the 100 and 200 at last year's world championships in Beijing, China.
"These last couple of seasons, I've become faster and more consistent," said Gatlin. "With track and field, you have to be a consistent athlete and consistent winner."
In his first three Diamond League races this season, Gatlin posted three victories, clocking 9.94 in Shanghai, a wind-assisted 9.88 in Eugene, Ore., and 9.93 in Rome.
Bolt dealt with ankle problems earlier this season and won the 100 at the Golden Spike meet in May. He continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury that forced him to withdraw minutes before the 100 final at Jamaica's Olympic trials a month ago.
On July 11, the Jamaican Olympic Association allowed Bolt on its team, one day after the 29-year-old posted a photo of himself back in training, after applying for a medical exemption.
Adding to the much-anticipated Gatlin-Bolt showdown is their low-intensity war of words as the Games draw closer.
Gatlin suggested, not strongly, that Bolt got preferential treatment by being allowed to skip the Jamaican trials.
"When you command a certain power in track and field, sometimes you can exercise it," Gatlin said of Bolt to reporters earlier this month. "That's what's happening right now. He's injured; he has a medical pass, that's what his country does."
After stopping the clock in 19.89 to post a convincing victory in the men's 200 metres at the London Diamond League last week, Bolt accused his rival of disrespect.
"I felt it was a joke," he said. "I felt it was a disrespect they think I'd back out of trials. I've proven myself year [after] year that I'm the greatest.
"I laughed when I heard it. I was disappointed, especially in Justin Gatlin."
Despite the fact he lost to Bolt by a hundredth of a second in the 100 at last year's worlds, Gatlin doesn't believe he's the only one that can beat Bolt in Rio.
"I think that when anybody steps up to that line, it could be any of us on that track," said Gatlin. "It's just on that last step who's going to cross that finish line first."
The world is watching that race. The world is watching nine seconds. It's special.- U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin on the men's 100 metres
Gatlin also said it will be an "honour" to be part of an eight-man final at the Olympics. In 2012, he finished third in 9.79, behind Bolt's Olympic-record 9.63 and Yohan Blake (9.75). Bolt also owns the world record in the 100 that he set at the 2009 world championships in Berlin, clocking in an amazing 9.58.
"The world is watching that race," he said. "The world is watching nine seconds. It's special. Only eight people are able to be on that starting line."
Gatlin noted he takes "a sense of strength" from the battle with Bolt in Beijing
"I lost myself towards the end of that race, and I want to be able to stay focused when it's time," he said. "Hopefully, I'll be in the finals in Rio.
"If you look back at bouts that Usain has had with other people, you could almost not call them bouts. He has won by a mile, almost."
Gatlin, who has served two doping suspensions, said he doesn't feel he has anything to prove in Rio.
"I just want to be myself, have fun with it, and at the same time show my competitive spirit," said Gatlin, who, like Bolt, will also run the 200 and 4x100 relay in Rio. "Win or lose, when you run against me you're going to have to run really good."