The IAAF World Championships are taking place this weekend in Beijing, and Usain Bolt will face Justin Gatlin in the 100m sprint.
While Bolt is the most recognisable name in the sport, Gatlin has been the faster runner this year so far. The 33-year-old has set the fastest times in both the 100 and 200 metres this year and looks primed to succeed this weekend, with many expecting him to beat the Olympic champion.
However, Gatlin is controversial as a result of the fact that he served a ban for testing positive for a banned substance in 2006, and has come back to challenge Bolt despite being an age where most sprinters are traditionally past their peak.
Speaking on Off The Ball in June, Dr. Ross Tucker said "Gatlin is fast becoming the pantomime villain of track, especially because he's in the most publicly watched event (the 100 metres) and he's taking on athletics' most recognised face in Usain Bolt and he's doing it as an unrepentant banned doper, returning at a time when he should be getting slower but is getting faster and faster".
He added that "In the case of Gatlin, because he was away from the sport as a consequence of his doping ban, he is relatively younger than his chronological age would suggest so you would have to factor that in if you want to give someone the benefit of the doubt. But the sceptic in me says he's extended that by so long. I mean he is 11 years after winning the Olympic gold medal in Athens, he's come back and even with that two or three year hiatus from the sport, he's still doing something exceptional in being an outlier".
Tucker also spoke to us this week ahead of what could be a defining meeting between the two in Beijing, and highlighted that this event is fast becoming more entertainment than pure sport: "What Beijing will provide on Sunday night is something under 10 seconds, one of the most anticipated head-to-head clashes that we've seen".
He added that there's a very interesting element to the level of performances that both men have been putting in ahead of these Championships: "you've got Usain Bolt who's one month ago was nowhere. I mean, I had doubts that he would even show up in Beijing because he hadn't broken 10 seconds yet. On the other hand, you've got Gatlin, who in May running 9.7 and isn't getting any slower. So many unanswerable questions will come to a head in 9.7 something seconds".
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