Gatlin smashes Bolt's 100 meter Rome record in Diamond League meet

Justin Gatlin snatched the track record set by rival Usain Bolt, as he achieved victory in the men's 100 meters in Rome diamond League.

The Olympic gold medalist, who served a two doping bans including a four-year suspension from 2006 to 2010, completed the race in 9.75 seconds, the seventh-fastest time in history – outclassing Bolt's 9.76 set in 2012.

Jubilant with the victory, Gatlin said that the key to keep winning was not to think about it because the championships were not tomorrow, the BBC reported. The 33-year-old athlete insisted he had not yet turned his attention to his battle with Bolt at the World Championships in Beijing in August. The American sprinter ran a 9.74 in the opening Diamond League meeting of the year last month.

Meanwhile, Olympic champion Sally Pearson suffered a wrist injury as a result of a fall in the women's 100m hurdles.