Usain Bolt has emphatically shut down suggestions that last year’s Olympic 100 metres final was superior to the 2012 edition which featured names such as Yohan Blake, Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin.
Last summer, at a capacity Stade de France, Noah Lyles won the 100m title by five-thousandths of a second as he defeated Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in one of the most dramatic races in Olympic history.
It was soon described as the greatest race in history as all eight men finished within 0.12 seconds of the gold medal.
But on an episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Bolt argued that the 2012 final in London was better as he joined former sprinter Rodney Green and fellow Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin to discuss the ‘then and now’ of sprinting.
Speaking on the episode, Bolt began the discussion by asking: “Do you guys really think the last 100m was the best one? I’m curious, do you really think so after what we performed in 2012?”
Gatlin, who won bronze in 2012 after losing out to Yohan Blake and Bolt, also gave his take on the debate.
“The line up in that race was unheard of. When you look at any other sport and the greatest of those sports NBA, NFL – they’re in generations. [Michael] Jordan didn’t play with LeBron [James] and Kobe [Bryant] played some with LeBron,” he said.
“But the fact of our line up is we were all in the same generation and we lined up at the same time.
“That was the most epic race when it came to legacy. Time wise, I can understand where you’re coming from when it comes to numbers but you won’t ever replicate that race ever again in life. The top five men in history were in that race.”
Bolt soon brought up the current crop of sprinters, and suggested they wouldn’t have been able to complete with five-time Olympic medallist Gatlin, who once recorded a 100m time of 9.74 seconds – the fifth-fastest in history.
“Nobody in that race (2024 final) would have gotten a medal (in the 2012 final),” said Bolt. “Justin, they wouldn’t have caught you, they’d have been chasing tails.”
Gatlin agreed, saying: “If I’d have lined up with them at that period of time, I would have won that.”
Bolt wins the 100m final in London. Image credit: Getty
Bolt wins the 100m final in London. Image credit: Getty
Reflecting on the 2012 race, Bolt added: “In 2012, I was right beside him (Gatlin) when the gun went, he was one step ahead of me and I was like, how is this even possible.
“It’s a good thing I’m mentally tough because if you’re not mentally tough, you see that your vibe is broken immediately.”
Usain Bolt snubbed Gout Gout and Noah Lyles when naming the man he thinks can beat his 100m world record
In an interview on The Fix Podcast in February, Bolt named his compatriot Oblique Seville as the man that could finally smash the 9.58 barrier.
Seville competed in the men’s 100m event in Paris and won his semi-final, running a time of 9.81 to finish ahead of Lyles, but during the final, he suffered a flare-up of a previous groin injury.
That restricted him to running 9.91, meaning he finished in eighth place out of eight runners.
Bolt still feels he can make history, though. “I feel like Oblique can do it [break my record],” he said. “If he can stay fit during the season and get it right, I feel he can do it. Because I am sure there is something there, the ability to do it.
“Some of the time Oblique can be fragile. It’s a matter of the work situation or whatever, but if he’s doing enough work, he can do it. It’s a matter of time because he’s not missed the finals yet, so it’s just to get over the hump.”
Hypothetically speaking, Bolt believes the current crop of sprinters wouldn’t have stood a chance in the 2012 final. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.
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