A video surfaced online of Justin Gatlin labeling Usain Bolt overrated which has sparked debate in the track and field community.
Former American sprinter Justin Gatlin is facing potential fallout with Usain Bolt after an AI-generated video surfaced, falsely portraying him as critical of the legendary Jamaican sprinter.
The Gatlin-Bolt rivalry was one of the most defining in sprinting history. Gatlin, a five-time Olympic medalist and the 100m gold winner at the Athens 2004 Olympics, often found himself playing catch-up to Bolt’s extraordinary top-end speed.
Bolt burst onto the scene at the 2008 Beijing Olympics withquickly establishing himself as the dominant force in track and field, repeatedly leaving Gatlin in his wake.
For years, Gatlin attempted to dethrone Bolt but fell short at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and the 2015 World Championships, despite being among the favorites. However, in 2017, Gatlin finally claimed victory in Bolt’s farewell 100m race at the World Athletics Championships.
Despite their on-track battles, the two athletes have maintained a cordial relationship off the track. Gatlin recently announced on his YouTube channel, Ready Set Go, that a special recording featuring Bolt discussing his career and rivalry would premiere before the end of the month.
However, an AI-generated video recently emerged, depicting Gatlin making disparaging remarks about Bolt, including labeling him as “overrated.” The American sprinter immediately dismissed the video, calling out the AI manipulation during a discussion with his regular co-host, Rodney Greene.
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The now-retired 2017 100m World Champion has revealed how beating Usain Bolt in 2017 boosted his appearance fees for the remainder of that season.
“I am going to pull up on AI, dawg, that is crazy,” Gatlin said, visibly frustrated. Gatlin pointed out to another video that falsely portrayed Yohan Blake criticising fellow competitors.
“They did the same thing to Yohan. They had him in a press conference talking, but it wasn’t really what Yohan was saying. It was very disrespectful to a lot of sprinters he was talking about, so I can only imagine what AI Justin was saying.”
The AI-generated clip attempted to break down Bolt’s dominance, claiming that his top-end speed was impressive but his form and overall stats were flawed.
“Usain Bolt wasn’t as unbeatable as everyone was making him out to be. His top-end speed was incredible, but his stats and form weren’t perfect. He was fast and dominant when in full flight, but if you break it down, there were flaws in his races,” the AI-generated video claimed.
Gatlin, however, has firmly denied ever making such statements.
“Usain, if you are listening, you know that ain’t me!” he declared with a subtle laugh.
With AI technology making it increasingly difficult to distinguish real from fabricated content, Gatlin’s situation highlights the growing challenges athletes and public figures face in maintaining their reputations in the digital era.
The sprinter now hopes that his long-standing respect for Bolt will not be overshadowed by this AI-generated controversy.
