Usain Bolt beat his controversial rival Justin Gatlin by just one-hundredth of a second on Sunday as he retained his world 100m title in a race billed as a battle for clean athletics.
The double Olympic gold medallist and world record-holder ran his season's best of 9.79 seconds in a thrilling and heavily nuanced encounter against Gatlin, who has served two doping bans.
Gatlin overstretched and faltered through the closing stages, taking silver with 9.80sec -- slower than his semi-final time of 9.77 set earlier at the Bird's Nest stadium.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men's 100 metres final during day two of the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships. GettyUsain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men's 100 metres final during day two of the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships.
Gatlin's fellow American Trayvon Bromell and Canadian Andre de Grassse shared the bronze medal position after both timing 9.92sec.
"That still was not the best. I still stumbled," Jamaica's Bolt said in reference to clumsy footwork close to the blocks, after a similar error nearly derailed him in the semi-finals.
"I came out here relaxed, no stress and brought it home. My aim is to be the number one until I retire and therefore I am pushing myself and pushing myself.
"It's all about running the race and getting it done. You can call that race rusty, I could have run faster."
Tempered applause was heard at a packed Bird's Nest stadium when Gatlin, in a red one-piece suit, was introduced to the crowd.
Bolt, wearing lycra shorts and singlet in the green, gold and black colours of Jamaica, was placed in lane five, Gatlin in lane seven of the nine-lane track.
The towering Jamaican, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday, was greeted with massive cheers at the stadium in which he took the world by storm at the 2008 Olympics with treble sprint gold, before repeating the feat in London in 2012.
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