"I love to see Mondo Duplantis versus Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in a 400"- Justin Gatlin anticipates a 1v1 clash between two Olympic gold medalists

Justin Gatlin anticipated a one-on-one clash between Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone following their victorious campaign at the Paris Olympics. Duplantis and McLaughlin-Levrone claimed gold medals at the French capital after registering world records in their respective events.

McLaughlin-Levrone posted a breathtaking 50.37 seconds to defend her 400m hurdles title with a world record. Duplantis shattered his world record for the ninth time in Paris by clearing the height of 6.25m.

Following his victory over Karsten Warholm in a 100m face-off, Duplantis challenged the American hurdler for a 400m race in Brussels, during the 2024 Diamond League Final. Since McLaughlin-Levrone did not compete in any Diamond League races this year, she was deemed ineligible for the final round.

Gatlin and Rodney Green anticipated the 400m clash between the pole vaulter and hurdler in their latest episode of the Ready Set Go podcast. While Gatlin expressed his enthusiasm for the showdown, Green conveyed his uncertainty about Duplantis' ability to clock 48 seconds. Gatlin said:

“Turn into real things that really can happen in our sport," Gatlin said. "I love to see Mondo versus Sydney in a 400. Who do you think will win? You got Sydney or you got Mondo?"

"It's kind of tough," Green said. "I mean, listen, hundreds are different from a 400. I don't know, you know, with all Mondo's done, I don't know if he got 48 in his legs."

"I got to keep this m**********r behind" - Justin Gatlin reflects on competing against Usain Bolt

Justin Gatlin opens up on strategy he used to compete against Usain Bolt - Source: Getty

Justin Gatlin talked about competing with the legendary sprinter Usain Bolt. The American defeated the Jamaican sprinting icon in the 100m event during the 2017 World Championships.

While Gatlin clocked a stunning time of 9.92 seconds to secure a gold medal, Bolt posted 9.95 seconds to settle in third place. In a candid conversation with Rodney Green, he revealed his thought process for taking on Bolt.

"I was thinking like, I gotta keep this m**********r behind me somehow," Gatlin said.

Further, Gatlin admired Bolt for his racing pattern:

"You get to a point where if you racing at a high level, the margin of error is so small now," he added. "There's always a high level of stress. It's the fact that in that day, whoever can get it done the best and Bolt was that dude. He knew his race pattern. He knew no one can beat him."

Justin Gatlin secured five Olympic medals throughout his athletics career.