Usain Bolt wasted no time in dismissing claims that last year’s Olympic 100-meter final was superior to the iconic 2012 edition.
In London, Bolt secured his second consecutive Olympic gold in the event, dominating a highly competitive field with a commanding performance.
Since that historic race, few 100m finals have generated as much global excitement—until last year’s highly anticipated showdown in Paris.
Noah Lyles emerged victorious at the Stade de France, clinching his first Olympic gold in impressive fashion ahead of Kishane Thompson and Fred Kerley.
The American clocked 9.79 seconds, and the race was later dubbed the fastest in history based on average times.
However, during the Ready Set Go podcast, Bolt firmly rejected the idea that the 2023 final surpassed the legendary 2012 showdown.
The sprinting icon joined former Bahamian sprinter Rodney Green and five-time Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin to compare past and present eras of sprinting.
One of the main topics of discussion was the unforgettable 2012 final, where Bolt outran Yohan Blake and Gatlin, while sprint legends such as Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay, and Kim Collins finished further behind.
“Do you guys really think the last 100m was the best one?,” Bolt asked. “I’m curious, do you really think so after what we performed in 2012?”
Green responded: “Asafa (Powell) throws the average off because he’s injured. If he doesn’t finish he’s okay but because he finishes in such a slow time because of his injury, it throws the average of that race off.”
Gatlin, who claimed bronze in London, also shared his thoughts, drawing parallels with basketball legends to emphasize the greatness of the 2012 field.
“The line up in that race was unheard of. When you look at any other sport and the greatest of those sports NBA, NFL – they’re in generations. [Michael] Jordan didn’t play with LeBron [James] and Kobe [Bryant] played some with LeBron.
“But the fact of our line up is we were all in the same generation and we lined up at the same time.
“That was the most epic race when it came to legacy. Timewise, I can understand where you’re coming from when it comes to numbers but you won’t ever replicate that race ever again in life. The top five men in history were in that race.”
Bolt then pushed a little further in his assessment of the recent comparison between the races saying: “Nobody in that race (2024 final) would have gotten a medal (in the 2012 final).
Gatlin agreed with Bolt adding: “If I’d have lined up with them at that period of time, I would have won that.”
“Justin, they wouldn’t have caught you, they’d have been chasing tails,” Bolt responded as he continued to put his generation on the highest possible pedestal.
Looking back on the London final, Bolt and Gatlin recounted their personal experiences from the unforgettable race, where the Jamaican set a winning time of 9.69 seconds.
“In 2012, I was right beside him (Gatlin) when the gun went, he was one step ahead of me and I was like, how is this even possible,” Bolt recalled.
“It’s a good thing I’m mentally tough because if you’re not mentally tough, you see that your vibe is broken immediately.”
The American chimed in with his own account adding: “Going into 50 metres, I can see I’m leading and I’m already thinking about how I’m going to celebrate if I win this race.
“The next thing I see is black and green on my left and on my right and I’m like ‘woah hold on’ because this ain’t about to become a victory lap.”
Remarkably, Bolt admitted that he could have broken his own world record of 9.58 seconds if he had stayed fully focused throughout the race.
“I messed up because I really could have got the world record that day,” he revealed. “I tell you, I never think about world records but I was running and I looked across and was like, alright, I’ve got them. Then I thought ‘S***’, the world record, and I started leaning too early because as soon as it clicked and I looked at the clock and I was like, I’m so stupid.”
