Gatlin pins Bolt’s injury on scheduling

Justin Gatlin agreed with the complaints of the Jamaican relay team that a long wait before their 4x100m final contributed to the injury suffered by Usain Bolt in his last race.

“I think they were holding us too long in the call room,” Yohan Blake, Bolt’s teammate, told reporters. “Usain was really cold. In fact Usain said to me ‘Yohan, I think this is crazy’. Forty minutes and two medal presentations before our run.”

Gatlin, who beat Bolt to gold in the 100m last Saturday, agreed with the complaints and laid the blame at the television scheduling for the event.

“I know it’s TV magic, and everybody has to be prepared on time to make everything happen for the viewers at home.

“(But) I personally think that we were held in the stadium a little too long without our clothes on, and there was a little draught in there. I lost all my sweat and body heat,” Gatlin said. Asked if he thought that contributed to Bolt’s injury, the 35-year-old said: “I believe so. Knowing how Usain performs, he’s always ready, he’s always making sure he’s not injured and it’s very rare to see Usain injured when he comes to performances.” World bronze, after being beaten in 100m in London 2017 by Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman

The number of Olympic treble sprint doubles, in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. It should have been a treble treble including all three relay titles, but teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for doping in the Chinese capital

Times Bolt has been named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017

Number of sprinters to have beaten Bolt over 100m: Gatlin, Coleman, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, American Tyson Gay and Antigua’s Daniel Bailey

Times Bolt has won the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016

Olympic gold medals:

100, 200m (2008, 2012, 2016); 4x100m relay

(2012, 2016)

The world record he set for the 100m at the 2009 worlds in Berlin

The second fastesttimeever run, when Bolt scorched to 100m gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Times Bolt has run sub-9.77 seconds or faster for the 100m

World gold medals: 100m (2009, 2013, 2015); 200m (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015); 4x100m relay (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)

World medals amassed since making his debut in Helsinki in 2005, when he finished eighth and last in the 200m final

World best Bolt setover150min Manchester in 2009. He ran the final 100 metres in 8.70sec, the fastest time ever recorded

World record he set for the 200m at the 2009 worlds in Berlin

Bolt’s average speed in km/h in his 100m world record race. Should you subtract his reaction time of 0.15sec, his time is actually 9.43sec, making his average speed 38.18km/h

The number of strides it took for Bolt to cover the 100m on his record-setting run in the German capital

Top speed in km/h reached during his 100m run in Berlin in 2009, between the 60 to 80m mark

The number of times Bolt has run sub-10 second 100m races Million dollars earned by Bolt last year according to a list of the world’s richest sportspeople by Forbes magazine