Some races stay with you forever, but few haunt you like losing by the smallest fraction of a second. The 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing delivered one of the most nail-biting finishes in history: Usain Bolt edged out Justin Gatlin by just 0.01 seconds in the men’s 100 meters final. Bolt took gold in 9.79 seconds, Gatlin grabbed silver at 9.80, and the bronze was shared by Trayvon Bromell (USA) and Andre De Grasse, each clocking 9.92 seconds. For Bolt, it was another legendary win. For Gatlin, it was a heartbreaking near-miss that still echoes in his mind a decade later. Recently, Gatlin got brutally honest about that split-second loss, the pain, the pressure, and the tears he shed after what should have been his moment.

Recently, in a heartfelt interview on the Track World News YouTube channel, Olympic 100m gold medalist Justin Gatlin opened up about what that loss meant to him and how it shaped his mindset. When asked about turning losses into lessons, Gatlin didn’t hesitate. “I have a couple in the tank,” he said, naming two key defeats that still stay with him. The first was a 100-meter race at the 2004 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, with a time of 10.19, as he finished eighth.

Shawn Crawford got first place with a time of 9.88 seconds. But the hardest. The 2015 match with Usain Bolt. “2015, man, losing to Bolt,” Gatlin recalled. He mentioned, “Like going through that whole season running 9.7 after 9.7 and then getting into the semis and running 9.7, slowing at the finish line and then getting to the finals running stride for stride with Usain.”

He further mentioned, “and then missing out on getting on top of that podium at the last—you know what I’m saying—second.” He described the surreal feeling of crossing the line, smiling for the cameras despite the pain he was feeling inside. “I knew it was going to be mortifying to go through that whole media gauntlet because I was dubbed and picked to win. I’m usually that clutch athlete, and I wasn’t that clutch athlete on that day.”

Gatlin revealed the emotional battle that followed, walking up to face the media with a mask of composure. “I’m about to walk up those little stairs to the media, and I’m thinking, what is going to be my generic answer? It always panned out to be, ‘Well, it just wasn’t my day. Usain is a great athlete.’ You have to give praise to the athletes that go out there and get the job done, right?”

But inside, Gatlin said he was “dying.” “You knew you were prepared for that moment, and you didn’t realize that faltering in that moment was going to be seen by probably half of the world. So I had to navigate myself through that.” And the moment no one saw? The heartbreak when he was alone. “Once I got in that service car to go back to the hotel—man, I cried like a baby,” Gatlin admitted.

“But it wasn’t the fact that I lost to Usain; it was the fact that I had the moment to win. It just wasn’t my time to win.” Because of this honesty, we see the hard truth that in elite sports, the line between winning and losing can be only one hundredth of a second. But he didn’t just give up on competing. He showed up in better shape, and in the end, he triumphed over Usain Bolt. That brings us back to the question: how was he successful?

Usain Bolt versus Justin Gatlin, rivals on the track, respect off it

The biggest rivalry was between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin. Usain Bolt was already one of the greatest athletes when they first worked together. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Bolt won a gold medal by setting a new world record of 9.69 seconds, while Gatlin was absent due to his suspension for doping. At the 2012 Olympic Games held in London, Gatlin was once more on the field, hoping for gold, yet it was once more Bolt who took gold and Gatlin received bronze. 

Even with a four-year hiatus, Gatlin still tried to compete for the title against Bolt. But the biggest surprise happened at the 2017 World Championships in London. Gatlin, then 35, outran Bolt, winning the 100m final in 9.92 seconds. With the slowest start reaction time of the day, Bolt was able to finish third in the race. It was a big surprise; Bolt had not lost a World Championship 100m final since 2005.

The crowd was enthusiastic: Mixed. While some cheered for Gatlin, others showed their disapproval because he had a doping past. Despite the fuss, Bolt still behaved maturely, walking over to shake Gatlin’s hand following their race. What makes this rivalry stand out is the respect they had for each other. Usain Bolt praised Gatlin’s dedication, calling him “one of the best I have faced,” while Gatlin openly admired Bolt’s consistency and dominance.

It’s the kind of rivalry that goes beyond the stopwatch and stays memorable long after the race is over.