Usain Bolt rose to stardom at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Setting two new world records in the Chinese capital, he started establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. However, the things that unfolded a year before surely served as the precursors to this feat. In 2007, Bolt was winning races, but he was hardly the top seed in every run. As there was another phenom who gave him a run for his money.

It’s a well-known fact that in his rather successful career, Bolt has navigated many rivalries. But this one was right before Beijing, which may have pushed him to elevate his performance. Yet interestingly, it did not get under his skin during competitions, for Bolt was feeling good even when the world kept touting the opponent above him. Curious to know who that contemporary was? Let’s go back a few years to know.

Jamaican speed king Usain Bolt remained unfazed by an American phenom

In his autobiography Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography originally published in 2013, Usain Bolt explicitly detailed what the 2007 track and field atmosphere was like. The Jamaican was fresh off two remarkable performances in July—the first was a silver-winning showdown at the Super Grand Prix meet and the other was a gold from the Norwich Union Grand Prix. But will you be surprised if I say that he still wasn’t the top fan choice that year?

Well yes. Usain Bolt mentioned in his book, “I was certainly a big contender by the time Osaka [the 2007 World Championships] came around, but I wasn’t the number one favourite because Tyson Gay was running hot, seriously hot.” He then went on to explain how Tyson Gay had taken the world by storm ever since he won the U.S. trials with a 19.62, leading everybody to think, ‘he had it nailed.’

While these made Tyson Gay the fan favorite, Bolt firsthand experienced the threat when he saw the man crushing Asafa Powell to win the 100m title in Osaka. Gay solidified his status as the world’s fastest sprinter that season, clocking a personal best of 9.84 seconds. But it was his performance in the final that truly sealed the deal. The American stormed to victory in dramatic fashion, despite his self-confessed weakness at the start. For 70 meters, he trailed Powell, the then-world record holder, but Gay shifted gears in the final stretch to secure the win in 9.85 seconds. His reaction? Pure disbelief: “I can’t yet believe that I am the World champion,” he admitted.

Reflecting on the moment in his autobiography, Usain Bolt wrote, “That feeling was only strengthened before the 200 metres event got under way because he had defeated Asafa in the 100 metres final, which was a real shock to me, firstly because Asafa was the world record holder and the man and, secondly, because Tyson’s win suggested he was now a serious contender for the Olympics in Beijing the following year.”

Yet, before Usain Bolt lined up for the 200-meter heats, he did not let Tyson Gay’s form get to his head. His words, “Still, I was feeling pretty good,” from the book show that he took it easy at that moment. And went on to win both the first and second rounds, as well as the 200-meter semifinals on the mega Worlds stage. While these were commendable hurdles to cross, the real challenge came later when Tyson Gay showed a piece of his top form.

Bolt’s American rival Tyson Gay flew off like a missile all through 2007

By 2006, Tyson Gay breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m had become a regular sight. Imagine it was with this form that he stepped into the 2007 season, and well, he emerged undefeated! To trace a few of his records, he had clocked both his personal bests in the 100 and 200m events in June at the US Championships in Indianapolis. His 200m time of 19.62 seconds was the second fastest in track history till then, which was an indicator of how exceptionally he was performing.

Tyson Gay credited his success to his patience and hard work over the past six months. And that was showing to such an extent that he won three golds at the World Championships in Osaka. Yes! After the 100m title, Gay stormed to another gold in the 200 in 19.76s, which helped him beat Usain Bolt as well as etch a new championship record.

If this wasn’t enough, Gay and the USA squad further restricted the Jamaicans in the 4x100m relay finals for another top rank. However, Usain Bolt staged a comeback in Beijing and established his supremacy with pure class. Whom do you think had the upper hand over the other? Let us know below!