The 100m event has always been a special one and the 2015 World Championships is even more interesting, with a number of top runners in the fray aiming for the gold. In the run up to the world championships at the Bird's Nest in Beijing, it is the Bolt vs Gatlin contest that has grabbed headlines and the finals is also expected to take a similar shape today (Sunday).
The fight for the gold medal is expected to be a close call with runners such as Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin as favourites and with sprinters such as Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell in the horizon as well, one expects a humdinger of a contest.
The semi-finals have been slated in the afternoon session, where Bolt and Gatlin should clock their best timings. However when one comes to the finals, the competition and pressure will be huge on both these sprinters.
Usain Bolt has been suffering from injuries, which was clearly evident from his timings of 9.87 seconds yesterday (Saturday), while Gatlin, who has been in top form this season, finished the race with 9.74. No wonder people are referring Gatlin as the top favourite.
Sprinters such as US' Trayvon Bromel and France's Jimmy Vicaut, along with and Jamaica's Asafa Powell, had better timings than Bolt, hence they are also expected to reach the finals and make it an interesting affair. Tyason Gay also finished with 9.87 second, on par with Bolt.
Bolt might not have been impressive, but do expect the world record holder to up his timings in the semi-finals and the finals, which makes it even more intriguing. But, Gatlin will pose a huge threat, given his splendid and consistent run in the Diamond League.
Bolt, who took the world by storm in the 2008 Beijing Games, might not be able to perform on that scale, but still has it in him to win the gold medal. Critics might have dubbed Gatlin as favourites, but they can be silenced by Bolt if he runs the fastest in the 100m finals at the Bird's Nest, where the crowds are expected to come out in large numbers to watch an epic Bolt vs Gatlin final.
Where to Watch Live
Get the 100m Results and Report HERE
The men's 100m semi-finals is scheduled for 7:10pm local time (4:40pm IST, 12:10 BST, 7:10am ET), while the finals have been slated for 9:15 local time (6:45pm IST, 2:15pm BST, 9:15ET).
Viewers in India can watch it on Star Sports 2/HD, with the live streaming option on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the US can watch Bolt vs Gatlin live on NBC Sports and Universal Sports with live streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra and Universal Sports.com.
UK viewers can watch Bolt vs Gatlin live on BBC and British Eurosport with an option of going online on BBCiPlayer and British Eurosport player.
International viewers can stream it live here.
Live updates of the entire event can be followed on the IAFF official website.
