Rival expects Bolt rethink

Usain Bolt could reconsider his decision to quit the sport, according to American sprint rival Justin Gatlin.

Gatlin finished second behind Bolt in last year’s Olympic 100m final and also at the past two World Championships with the Jamaican dominant.

Bolt is due to bow out on the global stage in next month’s World Championships in London after the 100m and 4x100m relay, but Gatlin can see him finding the lure of competition difficult to resist.

Asked whether he might change his mind, Gatlin, who is training with the United States squad in Birmingham, said: “Why not? He has that rock star mentality where he can travel the world, have fun, party in different places and then say: ‘I want to take this seriously one more time’.

“He has the opportunity to come back, once he leaves he can have a year of rest and say: ‘I love track so much I can’t leave it too soon’.

“For me it’s a rare moment which you’re not able to appreciate like I do. He’s a true competitor,”

But with Bolt stepping down, Gatlin, who also finished second behind the Jamaican in the 200m in Beijing, is excited at what it means.

He said: “It makes you a little more jittery. Who’s going to step up to fill that void, who’s going to rise to the occasion and want to be the next superstar?”