'Smarter and Wiser' Justin Gatlin Out for Usain Bolt Revenge at Rio Olympics

Published by The National on May 8, 2016

American Justin Gatlin roared to a 100 metres victory in Japan on Sunday as track and field’s pantomime villain kicked off his preparations for this summer’s Rio Olympics.

Floored by Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt in the 100m and 200m at last year’s world championships, two-time doping offender Gatlin clocked a time of 10.02 seconds into a slight headwind in Kawasaki in his first test of the season.

“Definitely it’s given me motivation, but also it’s made me smarter and wiser," Gatlin told AFP, referring to his Beijing disappointment.

“Usually you can come with a strategy that can combat the whole field, but when you go against someone like Usain, who is unique in stature and talent, you’ve got to come with a contingency plan, a plan B."