Track & Field Legend Justin Gatlin Claps for Ex-NCAA Star After IShowSpeed Race

“I respect @ishowspeed for stepping to the challenge.” That’s what Justin Gatlin said for IShowSpeed back when he raced Noah Lyles. The race took place in November 2024, organized by MrBeast, over 50 meters. Lyles won in 5.67 seconds, while Speed clocked 6.01 seconds. Ever since then, Darren Jason Watkins Jr. (Speed) has been athletic and even made appearances in WWE. But when he loses yet another race to an ex-NCAA star, what would Gatlin say?

Gatlin, sharing the post to his story first, took a friendly hit at Speed. “Damn @ishowspeed you getting clapped and I haven’t got my race yet?!” There might be an IShowSpeed vs Justin Gatlin matchup possible in the near future. Back in June 2025, the Olympian announced that he’s starting training and will be ready for 40-meter and street races against the YouTuber. But along with sarcasm, Gatlin also sent some praise to Nigel Green, the guy who beat the CR7 fan!

“I see ya ©bullettrain_nige,” he wrote. Speed was meeting local athletes in New York when Green approached and challenged him to a race. He made the content creator Google his name and check his record to convince that he was up against some serious competition. Speed agreed, and a track on the way was decided. From the start, Nigel exploded off the line with textbook acceleration.

He quickly opened a clear gap, while Speed gave a strong effort but couldn’t match Nigel’s top-end speed. Nigel crossed the finish well ahead, securing a decisive win in the clips circulating online. While the numbers are not yet out, counting the defeat from Noah Lyles, this would be Speed’s third loss to an athlete.

After losing to Noah despite all advantages, Speed lost to Australian rugby player Darcy Jones. Nigel Green is also a bona fide competitive sprinter around both college and pro sprinting, with a fast personal best of 10.8 seconds. And with that, his NCAA journey has been nothing but amazing.

Nigen Green’s NCAA Career

Nigel Green broke out as a top sprinter at Southern Connecticut State University, where he won multiple Northeast-10 and New England-level sprint titles, placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. Plus, there were several USTFCCCA Division II All-American honors, too. He also captured state championships in high school in the 100m and 300m, showing early promise as a sprinter.

After his success at SCSU, he transferred to the University of Tennessee as a graduate transfer and stepped up to SEC / Division I competition for the Volunteers, making his UT debut at early-season relays.

Outdoors, he boasts personal bests of 10.34 seconds in the 100m and 20.72 seconds in the 200m, both recorded in 2022. Indoors, he has impressive marks in the 55m (6.39), 60m (6.89), 200m (21.26), and 300m (33.16), demonstrating his ability to excel in short sprints and sprint relays alike. His performances have made him a consistent contributor to Tennessee’s scoring relays and sprint events. He also captured state championships in high school in the 100m and 300m, showing early promise as a sprinter.

So, beating Speed was probably not a very difficult task for Green. Did you watch the clip yet?