Justin Gatlin unofficially breaks Usain Bolt's 100m world record in 9.45 seconds
American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who won a gold medal for his country at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has come into the news after a video of him breaking Usain Bolt's 100m world record has surfaced on the internet. However, there is a catch to the achievement.
It is seen in the video that Gatlin had participated in a Japanese television shown called 'Kasupe’ where he managed to break Bolt’s record of 9.58 seconds which the latter had set in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The catch though is that the American athlete could break his rival’s record only with the help of an enormous electric fan that was placed next to him at the starting line. Also, throughout the length of the course, there were four smaller fans which were set up to assist him.
The fans gave the 34-year-old American a huge advantage as the force of the winds propelled him to finish the distance in just 9.45 seconds. According to reports, the strength of the wind that was provided by the fans was close to 20 mph.
A point that should be noted in this regard is that the speed of the wind that aided Gatlin to break the record was almost four times the legal limit that is allowed in professional competitions.
Gatlin's previous best was 9.74 seconds and there is no doubt whatsoever that he is mighty pleased about breaking Bolt's record, even if only unofficially. The American was reportedly paid about $25,000 to appear on the Japanese TV show.
Justin Gatlin has had a history of steroid use
Previously in 2001, the sprinter was banned after testing positive for amphetamines. Gatlin was banned from running in 2006 for eight years, but due to his active co-operation with the anti-doping authorities, his ban was reduced to four years.
Since his return to athletics in 2010, he has become one of the main rivals of the Jamaican speedster.
In the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, the two rivals gave their everything, as the world witnessed Usain Bolt pipping Justin Gatlin in both the 100m race as well as the 200m run. Despite the outcome, the American is still pretty confident that he will be able to secure a medal for the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
All he had to say was: “I’m going to win. We are bringing it (the gold medal) back to the USA.”