The clock stopped at 9.75, but the conversation didn’t. Just minutes after Kishane Thompson crossed the finish line at the Jamaican Championships, the sprinting world felt a shift. In a race that already stood out as the fastest since 2015, the margin, the poise, and the control all suggested something deeper. Not merely a peak, but a signal. And US track legend Justin Gatlin is already feeling it. So much so that he went ahead and put forth quite a bold claim.

Thompson, already known for his raw speed, carved a new mark in the record books with a time that placed him sixth all-time over 100 meters. It also became the fastest mark recorded globally in nearly a decade. Still just 24, he managed to shave two hundredths off his previous best of 9.77, first set last season, while appearing unfazed through the execution. That earlier 9.80 in the semifinal had raised eyebrows. What came next raised expectations. Yet amid the data and accolades, it was a veteran voice from outside the Jamaican camp that set the tone for what this really means.

In measured but unmistakable terms, former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin issued a firm warning. Speaking on the Tidal League Podcast, he turned the spotlight onto Thompson’s potential rather than his latest result. “So let’s talk about Kishane, man,” Gatlin began. “He went out there and ran 9.77 last year, and then he double-backed around this year and dropped to 9.75 at the Nationals.” The phrasing wasn’t casual. Gatlin made it clear that something serious may be unfolding behind the scenes.

“They cooking something over there,” he continued. “And I say that because after each of the interviews, when asked certain questions, he says, we got something brewing. Insinuating that he can run faster or he has run faster than time had shown,” Gatlin further added. Rodney Green, also part of the conversation, added context to Thompson’s steady technical growth. 

“He followed exactly the cues that his coach gave him,” Green noted, “and probably some of the commentation. He ran through the line this year. I definitely think it was a good, confident run for him.” That last point echoed what keen observers had already suspected. The maturity of Thompson’s execution, especially in how he carried his final strides, suggested more than just good form. It suggested restraint.

Thompson’s semifinal run of 9.80 hinted at ease rather than effort. And yet, he returned two hours later to trim another five-hundredths. Gatlin’s observations point beyond numbers. He saw intent. “If he’s running faster than 9.77, 9.75, then watch out world.” Surely, it’s the kind of assertion that doesn’t come lightly from a man who once held the title himself.

And Thompson is backing it up with his words. “I’m never going to surprise myself, because I know how capable I am. I am very confident; even if I break the world record, it wouldn’t surprise me because I am that confident, and I’m working to achieve all my goals and the accolades.”

With the Paris Games behind him and his name now etched among the all-time greats, Kishane Thompson has already arrived. The question is whether he’s merely passing through. Or just getting started. Meanwhile, with Noah Lyles spitting fire as well, Thompson is expecting some fireworks in their next meeting.

Kishane Thompson steps back as Noah Lyles’ showdown is put on hold again

The contest many had quietly circled may now remain unwritten a while longer. Kishane Thompson, whose explosive 9.75-second run at the Jamaican trials recently elevated him into sprinting’s elite stratum, will not race in London. That meeting, set to feature Noah Lyles, was regarded as the most likely setting for their long-awaited rematch after the Paris Olympics final was decided by five-thousandths of a second. Thompson’s withdrawal, unannounced until late, delays what had promised to be one of the year’s defining races.

Thompson, speaking in Eugene ahead of his appearance in the Diamond League meeting, acknowledged the lingering anticipation around his next clash with the American. “I’m a very competitive person,” he said, his voice calm but composed. “I might not show it, but when it comes to competing with a phenomenal person… when he’s ready to step back on the track and we meet, it’s going to be fireworks for sure.” He declined to add specifics about when or where that might occur. Lyles, for his part, has yet to open his season at either 100 or 200 metres, leaving the calendar conspicuously open.

With the World Championships in Tokyo now just two months away, the track world must continue to wait. Thompson’s rapid ascent and Lyles’s unchallenged crown remain the twin forces shaping the season, but without a head-to-head this month, anticipation turns to uncertainty. The sport often relies on collision to define legacy; for now, fans must settle for distance and possibility.