Bolt brands World C’ship win over Gatlin as ‘hardest race’

“My coach said, ‘You’ll have to run 100 meters if you’re going to win the race, ‘” Bolt said after capturing his record ninth career gold medal at world championships.

In the final stretch of the race, Bolt came from behind to barely win the race in what is already being deemed a classic in the track and field community.

Bolt, who had been struggling to find form throughout the season, clocked 9.79secs to defend the title he won in Moscow two years ago.

“Then, when he starts running well, consistently well I should say, it’s all of a sudden the threat of someone being able to beat Bolt”.

Chants of “Usain Bolt” rang around along with acclaim for China’s Bingtian Su, Bolt raising his eyebrows at a classical piano rendition from a Chinese musician and checking out his beard as his face featured on the big screen.

“Win or lose, it was a great race against a great guy”.

The 100-meter world record holder defended his title as the world’s fastest man on Sunday, winning the 100-meter run in a thrilling race at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

“It’s No 1 when it comes to competition”, Bolt said.

New world athletics boss Sebastian Coe will privately be breathing a sigh of relief that Olympic champion Bolt repelled Gatlins challenge after the sport was plunged into crisis by allegations of widespread doping.

Gatlin returns to the track Tuesday for the opening round of the 200. Two seasons of injuries have taken their toll.

Bolt added that he would prove the doubters wrong yet again.

Gatlin, however, said the pressure had not got to him.

In a dead heat for third, Trayvon Bromell of the United States and Andre De Grasse of Canada shared bronze in 9.911 seconds.

The veteran, who will get a shot at revenge when he and Bolt go head to head over 200m, felt he “gave away” victory.

It could have been so different had Bolt failed to recover from a stumble at the start in the semi-finals. As well as the Nike backed Gatlin, who has become the bogeyman for those who believe the sport has been soft on cheats, his American team-mates Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers have also served bans.

The 29-year-old will go for successive world championship dash sweeps in Beijing, the location of his breakthrough triumph on the 2008 Olympics, with the 200 metres last scheduled for Thursday.

He lost the tightest finish since the 2003 world championships in Paris.

Three years after the 2012 London Games, Ennis-Hill remains the standout she once was.

Ennis-Hill, who gained the world title in Berlin in 2009, completed with 6,669 factors.

Sure, for Usain Bolt, the winning result, the bow-and-arrow victory celebration and even the setting may have been the same as 2008. Storl had to settle for silver with a best of 21.74.