Bolt rues start, booed Gatlin hails his 'amazing' rival
Usain Bolt was left ruing a disastrous start as his failure to fire saw American arch-rival Justin Gatlin poop what was supposed to be a party in his final 100m race at the world championships on Saturday.
"My start is killing me," said Bolt, who battled back up through the field to claim bronze behind Gatlin and silver medallist Christian Coleman.
"Normally it gets better during the rounds, but it didn't come together. And that is what killed me. I felt it was there."
Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, shrugged off the boos of the crowd to hail the great Jamaican, even dropping to his knees to bow to his rival.
Gatlin said Bolt had told him "You don't deserve all these boos."
"So I think for all that and inspiring throughout my career he's an amazing man."
Bolt had complained about the starting blocks in Friday's first round, and left himself too much to do after finding himself behind Coleman.
"It was rough," he said. "I was a little bit stressed. But I came out like at any other championships and I did my best. Thanks for the support. I could never expect this from any other crowd. They are what pushed me to do my best.
"The atmosphere was wonderful. I knew they would come out. I'm just disappointed I couldn't do better for them but that's how it goes sometimes."
Gatlin was loudly jeered by the sell-out 60,000 crowd at the London Stadium, where Bolt's victory over him at the 2012 Olympics was hailed as triumph of 'good over evil' given the American's doping-tainted past.
"It's just so surreal right now -- I jumped in the crowd and went wild," said the 35-year-old who has served two doping bans, the second between 2006-10, a period of forced exile that he credits has helped his track longevity.
"Usain has accomplished so much in our sport and inspired others like Coleman to come out and compete in the championships.
"Usain said: 'Congratulations, you deserve it.' And that's from the man himself. He knows how hard I work. Tonight was all about the W (win) and I managed to sneak it."
Gatlin played down the jeering, perhaps summing up the difference between him and Bolt perfectly by saying: "It's not about the crowd: I tuned it out through the rounds and stayed the course. I kept my energy through the semis and came to the final to do what I do.
"The people who love me, they're cheering for me. They're at home cheering for me and my coaching manager is cheering for me, and that's what I've been focusing on.
"I thought of all the things I would do if I won, and I didn't do any of that. It was almost like 2004 all over again" when he won the Olympic 100m title before going on to claim a world sprint double in 2005 and then falling foul of doping laws.
Tetchy Gatlin on the defensive after his moment of glory
Justin Gatlin defended himself against accusations of whether he should still be competing after completing a remarkable comeback to win the men's world 100 metres and ruin superstar Usain Bolt's farewell.
The 35-year-old American, who won the world title in 2005 a year after winning the Olympic gold in the Athens Games a year earlier, said he had done his time in serving a four-year ban (2006-10) for doping.
The prospect of Gatlin becoming world champion had made Sebastian Coe, prior to him becoming president of the sport's governing body the IAAF, feel "queasy". And the American had been roundly booed when it was announced he had won with Bolt in third.
Whle Gatlin raised a finger to his lips in defiance of their jeering, the crowd then chanted Bolt's name.
However, Gatlin insisted he was "no bad boy" and said he should be treated like anyone who is given a second chance by society.
"I'm just a runner," said Gatlin.
"I'm back in the sport. I've done my time and I've come back.
"I've done community service, I've talked to kids, I've actualy inspired kids to walk the right path.
"That's all I can do. Society does that for people who make mistakes. That's why I'm still back in the sport, still running and believe in myself."
Bolt, who said he would not be rethinking his plans to retire after his stellar career, also defended Gatlin's right to compete although the Jamaican had not been so generous when another American, Tyson Gay, had tested positive and then returned.
Mutual respect
"He's done his time and if he's here it means it's okay," Bolt said of Gatlin.
"I always respect him as a competitor. He's one of the best competitors I've ever competed against.
"He deserves to be here because he's done his time and has worked hard to get back here. I look at him as any other athlete."
Bolt also called "disrespectful" a suggestion that overall slow seasonal times were linked to a more efficient anti-doping testing programme, saying it was more down to either injuries, loss of form or even negative wind.
Gatlin, though, tried to shrug off the hostile reception he had received throughout the qualifying rounds and then when he won.
"Not at all, this was Usain's night, his last race," said Gatlin of the boos when he won.
"He has my utmost respect and this was his night, win or lose
"He is still the man.
"I guess they booed me because I have become such a rival for him.
"There were no boos from 2010 through to 2015, but really I got the most pleasure from the way I stuck in there and came back."
Gatlin said he didn't know if he would call it a day now that he had succeeded in beating Bolt in a championship final -- just his second win over the 30-year-old in 10 meetings.
"Look ,when I got the four-year ban I thought I was through and then I decided I should come back and resume training and see how it went," he said.
"For a millisecond when I crossed the line tonight I thought of retiring but now I wll see the season through."
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