US sprinter Justin Gatlin hands world-record holder Usain Bolt a narrow defeat in 100 metres

ROME – American sprinter Justin Gatlin handed world-record holder Usain Bolt a narrow defeat in the 100-meter race at the Golden Gala meet on Thursday.

Gatlin clocked 9.94 seconds and Bolt crossed second in 9.95.

It was Bolt’s first significant loss since he was disqualified for a false start at the 2011 world championships in Daegu, South Korea. Bolt was also beaten by Tyson Gay in August, 2010, in Stockholm.

Gatlin has now won all five of his 100 races this year and is shaping up as a serious threat to Bolt at this year’s worlds in Moscow in August.

Bolt, the six-time Olympic champion from Jamaica, also struggled in his only other 100 this year, narrowly winning in a relatively slow 10.09 in the Cayman Islands a month ago.

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