American sprint legend Justin Gatlin made a bold and surprising pick for his greatest hypothetical relay team, snubbing a squad anchored by the legendary Usain Bolt.
The former Olympic champion, evaluated four all time great relay teams composed of sprinters from different eras, ultimately selecting a quartet that excluded the Jamaican icon, widely regarded as the fastest man in history.
The four teams, each featuring a mix of sprinting royalty, were carefully analyzed by Gatlin and his co-host Rodney Green in a debate on the Ready Set Go podcast.
Team One included American Christian Coleman, Jamaican Michael Frater, Dennis Mitchell, and Usain Bolt while the second one featured Jamaican icon Asafa Powell, Trayvon Bromell, Erriyon Knighton, and Carl Lewis.
Team Three, Gatlin’s pick, comprised himself, Nester Carter, Tyson Gay, and Maurice Greene while team Four rounded out the list with Jon Drummond, Wallace Spearmon, Yohan Blake, and reigning 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles.
Despite the star power of Bolt and the other teams, Gatlin stood firm in his choice, arguing that Team Three’s collective speed in their primes made them the ultimate relay squad.
“When you look at everyone in their primes, Nester Carter ran 9.78, I ran 9.74, Tyson ran 9.69, and Mo ran 9.79. So we’re already just straight-up 9.7s across the board,” Gatlin explained.
Gatlin’s selection was based purely on numbers and peak performance, emphasizing the consistency of his team’s elite speed.
He also dismissed concerns about baton exchanges, a common critique of American relay teams in major championships.
“I read one of the comments, and it said, ‘Yeah, if Team Three could pass a baton from second to last, they got it,'” said co-host Rodney Green
“Bro, that’s wild. Ain’t no stick ever get dropped on me. I don’t think Tyson ever dropped a stick either,” Gatlin countered.
Justin Gatlin’s acknowledged Usain Bolt’s unparalleled dominance in individual sprints, but he believed the raw consistency and collective speed of his chosen team would make them unbeatable in a relay scenario.
Green, however, highlighted the underrated potential of Team Four, which included Noah Lyles and Yohan Blake.
“If they get in front of you, they ain’t coming back. You’re not running them down—that’s not happening,” Green said.
Gatlin’s selection has sparked lively debate among track and field enthusiasts, with many weighing in on whether a Bolt-led team could still outperform Gatlin’s dream quartet.
