Allyson Felix, Talitha Diggs and others react as Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin reunite to revisit legendary rivalry

Allyson Felix and the rest of the track world were in awe as Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin reunited to spill the beans about their iconic rivalry, arguably one of the most intense of the sport. The duo raced against each other for over a decade before Bolt retired in 2017.

Gatlin invited Bolt to his "Ready Set Go" podcast. In the episode, released on February 27, the two discussed their rivalry, including the mind games they played with each other before the races.

Gatlin shared a clip of the episode on his Instagram handle in which Bolt detailed how he realized the American sprinter was nervous at his peak during the 2015 World Championships.

“I don't remember what he said and I looked at him like, 'Huh!?' I was surprised because I didn't expect him to say nothing. 'I'm like, yeah, yeah, cool,' and then he said something else to me and I was like, 'Oh sh*t, he's nervous,' and that helped because now I know, 'He's nervous, I'm nervous' because, remember, I'm running sh*t all season," Usain Bolt recalled

Athletes and fans alike were left inspired by the conversation, with eight-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix commenting:

"So good."

2022 World Champion Talitha Diggs called the two sprinters "OGs" while reputed fitness trainer Jason Altidor termed the conversation "enlightening".

"You have no idea how great this is to see both of you sharing your experiences. Seeing you both competing for years this is very enlightening. Blessings to you both."

Here are some more reactions:

"This convo made my day 🏃🏾🏃🏾 💨 👏," American actor Jaleel White commented.

"Such a good podcast!! Thanks you guys for providing this to the world!! 💪💯🔥," a fan commented.

"Big up @justingatlin 👏," another fan wrote.

Allyson Felix and others' reactions

Bolt and Gatlin first faced off at the 2004 Olympic Games in the 200m, and while Gatlin won the race in 20.30s, the Jamaican suffered an injury and didn't finish the race. Although Gatlin also won their last faceoff in 2017, Bolt dominated the head-to-head record 10-3.

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"No one in that race would have gotten a medal" - Usain Bolt on comparisons between 2012 & 2024 100m Olympic races

Montblanc Presents The Laureus World Sports Awards 2024 - Usain Bolt- Source: Getty

The 2024 Paris Olympics witnessed one of the fastest 100m races in history, with all eight of the sprinters finishing under 9.91s. However, Usain Bolt doesn't believe any of those eight sprinters would have won a medal in the 2012 100m Olympic finals he won.

“No one in that race would have gotten a medal…they wouldn’t have caught him (Justin Gatlin) in the first place. They would have been chasing tails, man, come on," Usain Bolt said on the Ready Set Go podcast.

Bolt won the 100m title at the London Olympics in 9.63s while Yohan Blake finished second in 9.75s, and Gatlin was third in 9.79s. Jamaica's Yohan Blake was the last in 11.99s after suffering an injury, which significantly lowered the average time of the race.

Interestingly, Noah Lyles won the 100m finals at the Paris Olympics in 9.784 seconds and would have challenged Gatlin for the bronze medal.