Justin Gatlin and Rodney A. Green’s Ready Set Go podcast on YouTube has been covering events extensively this season, leading up to the Paris Olympics. Recently, the American and Bahamian sprint veterans talked about a British rivalry pair who can cause a lot of drama at track events.
These two sportsmen are none other than Zharnel Hughes and Matthew Hudson-Smith, who have given their all this season. The track world has witnessed competition between athletes from different countries, yet there is also a dispute among competitors from the same nation, which draws a lot of attention from the fandom because it is rare to see.
Green wants them to face off on the grid; thus, he wants to have a specific event that will not be counted in the World Athletics program, as he says:
“I think they should do an exhibition race.”
Despite the Bahamian sprint legend’s fascinating suggestion, Gatlin was unsure which category they would compete in. Hughes and Hudson-Smith are very different runners, with one specializing in the 200 and the other in the 400 meters. This discrepancy, however, wasn’t troubling Green, who suggested that they run a 300-meter race, but the four-time world champion also has his own point, namely that it may become simpler for Matthew but more difficult for Zharnel.
Categories in track and field make a big difference, even if it’s only a few additional or fewer meters because competitors plan their strategy and how they’ll run in the race.
Green also has a plan to make the exhibition event more attractive, and he wants shoe brands to participate. While Zharnel is sponsored by Adidas, Matthew is supported by Puma, and this might be a great promotional event for the organizations, acquiring the audience that they require for their products.
This is not the first time the sprint icons have spoken about track rivalry; they recently discussed the mile sprint at the Prefontaine Classic, where Josh Kerr annihilated Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Justin Gatlin’s insight on the two-track rivals
The Prefontaine Classic provided the track world with a lot of action during the event, and every single category was magnificent thanks to the competitors. The mile sprint, where Josh Kerr won over his Norwegian rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen, caught the attention of Justin Gatlin, as the track icon was impressed by both of their performances.
This whole scenario has now sparked the heat that they needed to go to the Paris Olympics. Gatlin also points out that Kerr completely changed his strategy in the final lap, which made him the ultimate winner, and this significant last-minute change was something concerning for his opponents, as he will be a formidable force to face. However, Jakob is also no easy competitor, as he will make a huge comeback the next time these two athletes lock horns in any event.
