Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but if you're trying to mimic anything Usain Bolt does, it's an act of utter foolishness. U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin learned that lesson the hard way Wednesday night, and it cost him a shot at a gold medal.
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Gatlin, a silver medalist in the 100-meter dash, was expected to meet up with the Jamaican sensation in the 200 final at the Rio Olympics as well. Gatlin, however, placed third in his heat in the 200 semis and failed to qualify. The American looked as if he'd be a shoe-in to challenge Bolt, the world record-holder in the 100 and 200, but slowed up to look over his shoulder midway through the race, as Bolt had done minutes before, and the competition passed him.
UPSET: Justin Gatlin nor Yohan Blake qualify for men's 200m final. SF-3 won by Edward 20.07 #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/hNYIfoT26Z
— C Sports (@CSportsLive) August 18, 2016
Gatlin finished ninth, posting a time of 20.13 seconds.
Check out Bolt and Canada's Andre De Grasse as they laughed at the competition, finishing first (19.78) and second (19.80) in their semifinal heat.
Even if you're a wold-class sprinter, you're still not on Bolt's level and should govern yourself accordingly.
The 200-meter final is Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Gatlin will go for gold as a member of the U.S.'s 4x100-meter relay team Thursday at 10:40 a.m. ET.