Justin Gatlin reacts as Lionel Messi gears up to play in Jamaica for the first time in his career

Former sprinting sensation Justin Gatlin recently shared his thoughts on soccer legend Lionel Messi playing for the first time in Jamaica. Messi would be representing Inter Miami during their next match against the Cavalier FC in the CONCACAF Nations Cup.

According to the media reports, the Jamaican club has prepared extensively for this mega-match. Usually playing in a 3000 seater stadium, the match has been shifted to the 30000 seater National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, owing to the presence of Messi.

Gatlin reacted to this situation by posting the same on his Instagram story, where he wrote in the caption,

"We going or Nahh?"

Screenshot of Justin Gatlin's Instagram story [Image Source : Justin Gatlin's Instagram]

Almost a month ago, Gatlin emphasized the need to raise the bar for celebrations by athletes. In one of his podcast sessions on the YouTube channel 'Ready Set Go', the former American sprinter mentioned,

"I also think about the time, I think it was outdoor Boston and Noah said good luck to everybody then crossed the finish line and then he shot everybody," Gatlin said. "We as athletes in our sport need to take the celebration to a new level to where people be like, 'You know what I'm gonna tune in just to watch to see what the celebration gonna be like."

Justin Gatlin was recently in Jamaica for an invitational meet. He also invited Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell for a friendly dash through his Instagram story.

---

Usain Bolt reveals his respect for 'greatest rival' Justin Gatlin

Usain Bolt talks about his 'rivalry' with Justin Gatlin [Image Source : Getty]

Justin Gatlin and his famed 'rivalry' with Jamaican sprinting sensation Usain Bolt is hidden from none. The former Olympic champion recently opened up about the same, and why he considers Gatlin a tough opponent.

In his podcast session with 'The Fix', Bolt said,

"For me, Justin, because I think we competed over a longer span, for a while. For a span, now, like 5 years. With everybody, it was like two years, one year. So, that was the thing. He is a master, so I give that off to Justin, and Justin Gatlin is a true competitor. He's somebody that you have to respect when it comes to competing and working. And the sport needs to evolve, it has to." [1:04:00 onwards]

Interestingly, in a recent podcast session on 'Ready Set Go,' Bahamian athlete Rodney Green asked if Bolt was ready for a potential rematch with Gatlin. The former Olympic champion calmly responded,

"I'm ready, just for the fun of it. I'm ready, let's go. It'll be fun" [1:23:00 onwards]

Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin have faced each other more than once since the London Olympics. Though Bolt won most of the races, Gatlin gave him a tough time, especially during the Rio Olympics and the World Championships in 2017. Gatlin finally overcame Bolt in the 100m finals at the World Championships, which was also Bolt's final individual race ever.