Why Justin Gatlin believes 'closest' Paris 2024 Olympic 100m final will be start of many special battles between Lyles, Thompson & Co

American sprints legend has said thewas one of the most competitive races this year.

Gatlin who cruised to the 2004 100m Olympic gold, added that it was hard to separate betweenand amidst the USA-Jamaica sprints rivalry. American Lyles had taken victory by five-thousandths of a second from Jamaica’s Thompson in a dramatic photo finish, winning in 9.79 seconds.

Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles made the unpopular decision to race in 200m despite being ill, a decision that was backed by the US Olympic and Paralympic leadership.

Lyles, who also clinched 200m bronze, celebrated wildly, his first Olympic triumph confirmed, as the athletics world was left stunned after witnessing one of the most remarkable 100m showdowns of all time.

«Iron sharpening iron in that situation. I don’t know how to break up between Noah and Kishane, I’ll let you know right now the world is sharpening knives and getting ready for that fight,» Gatlin said on the

Junelle Bromfield was heavily criticised for supporting American Lyles in Paris instead of compatriot Kishane Thompson, something that did not go down well with Jamaican,

«I know how close it was, It was a damn blanket finish,» he added.

Gatlin won the world championships four times and is also a three-time Diamond League 100m champion. He said 2025 offers redemption for those athletes who failed to make it to the podium in Paris. However, he maintained that success will only be realized if the athletes work extra harder in training.

«I hope those guys who didn’t get a chance to get on the podium or the ones who wanted to get on top of that podium, I hope they really realize just to work 10% harder. That 10% is going to make a big difference for your career bro. If you see that you lost because of that or you won because of that, that’s a game changer,» Gatlin observed.