The sprinters who almost defeated Usain Bolt ft. Yohan Blake, Justin Gatlin (Images: All from Getty)

3 athletes who came close to defeating Usain Bolt at the Olympics ft. Yohan Blake

Modified Jul 09, 2024 09:52 GMT

Yohan Blake might not be the best of all sprinters in athletics history, but he is remembered for two races: the finals of the 2011 World Championships, where he outsmarted Usain Bolt, and the 100m finals of the 2012 London Olympics, where he was almost ahead of the Jamaican sprinting legend for the first 50 meters, followed closely by Justin Gatlin.

However, there have been several other occasions when Usain Bolt was nearly defeated at the Summer Olympics by his fellow competitors. Here are some of the superb athletes who almost managed to upset Usain Bolt.

Olympic sprinters who managed to almost upset Usain Bolt

#1 Yohan Blake (London 2012)

When Usain Bolt was asked in 2008 if there was any sprinter who could come close to challenging him, he calmly replied,

"Watch out for Yohan Blake. He works like a beast. He's there with me step for step in training."

Bolt wasn't making this up. Yohan Blake not only won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, where Bolt was disqualified for false start, but also gave him a run for his money at the 2012 London Olympics.

Yohan Blake competing in the 100m finals at London 2012 - Getty Images

Yohan Blake took a strong start in the 100m finals and was almost leading at the halfway mark, when Usain Bolt came back from behind to win the gold medal with a new Olympic record.

#2 Justin Gatlin (London 2012 & Rio 2016)

Not everyone has a comeback like Justin Gatlin. Once an Olympic champion, Gatlin was compelled to serve a four-year ban on charges of doping. However when he made his comeback in London, Justin Gatlin almost gave Usain Bolt a nightmare.

Justin Gatlin in the 100m finals at Rio 2016 - Getty Images

At the start of the 100m finals, Gatlin went neck-to-neck with Yohan Blake till the halfway mark, pushing Usain Bolt behind. Though he had to settle for a bronze, Gatlin had more than proved himself.

Moreover, Justin Gatlin wasn't done yet. In Rio, he almost denied Usain Bolt the grand farewell he wanted. He made a strong head start, forcing Bolt to go all out. In the end, Bolt emerged the winner, but the margin of victory between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin was extremely small. The next year, Justin Gatlin finally had his day when he defeated Bolt at the World Championships.

#3 Andre De Grasse (Rio 2016)

When Andre De Grasse won the bronze medal in the 100m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, nobody imagined in their wildest dreams that he would almost upset Usain Bolt in the 200m.

Bolt and De Grasse competing in the 200m finals at Rio 2016 - Getty Images

However, De Grasse's coach was an exception. According to him, Usain Bolt was far from his prime, and if Andre De Grasse forced Bolt to run faster than necessary, it would tire him out and give De Grasse a chance to create history.

This technique almost worked, and Andre De Grasse gave Usain Bolt a tough run for his money. However, Bolt turned out to be smarter, and his final push technique outwitted the Canadian sprinter, forcing him to settle for a silver medal.