Gatlin Snatches Usain Bolt's Rome Record

American Justin Gatlin has snatched a track record held by sprint rival Usain Bolt by cruising to victory in the men's 100 metres at the Rome Diamond League meet.
Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion who served a four-year doping ban in 2006-2010 for using testosterone, stopped the clock at 9.75 seconds on Thursday, the 11th-fastest time in history.
It was just one hundredth of a second faster than the 9.76 set by Bolt, in Gatlin's absence, on his way to victory in Rome in 2012.
Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record holder in 9.58, has made only appearances in Europe this season, winning a 200 metres in the Czech Republic in May.
But with both sprinters avoiding each other so far in the build-up to the world athletics championships in Beijing in August, it is only a matter of time before they duel.
Gatlin admitted if he had to switch roles with Bolt right now, he would be "enthused" by the performances he is setting.
"If the roles were switched... I'd be more enthused by such a great competitor coming up and making me want to be sharper again," he said.
It is the second time Gatlin has run under 9.80 in just over a week, after storming his way to a personal best of 9.74 in Doha last week.
That performance raised eyebrows among his detractors, but Gatlin says he has nothing to prove.
"I have nothing to prove to anybody, really," he said. "I just come out and just want to run. Good or bad, whatever is written about me, positive or negative, I wake up, get to the track and get ready to run."
While Gatlin is showing Bolt he means business, his performances, and his progress this season, have raised eyebrows.
AFP