Bolt felt the nerves - ... before he chased down Gatlin for 2015 World title

Throughout his career, sprinting legend Usain Bolt has been used to his opponents trying to catch up to him but he has recently described his 2015 World Championship 100m win as one where he had to chase down Justin Gatlin for the title.

Speaking with fellow Puma ambassador Colin Jackson on an Instagram live session last week, the 32-year-old detailed the events behind capturing his ninth World Championship gold medal in Beijing, China.

At the time, Gatlin was coming into the championship with the fastest time in the world, a 9.74- second run set in Doha, Qatar, on May 15. Bolt recovered after a stumbling start to win his semi-final round in 9.96 seconds. He admitted that he was not the favourite going into the final and developed nerves. However ,he said that a rare interaction with Gatlin in the call room allowed the nerves to subside.

"When I was in the call room he was talking to me. I was like this is strange, he never talks to me," he said "And it clicked to me as well that he was nervous also."

High STANDARD

When I saw that, it helped me to relax a little bit more because now that I know that yes I am stressing a little bit but he is stressing also. He's worried because he has dominated all season."

It was a feeling that Bolt said that he could relate to as he divulged how difficult it is to maintain a high standard excellence when you are expected to prevail.

"A lot of people don't understand the pressure and the stress that it takes to be the one that people are chasing," Bolt said. "They think it's easy to be up there. It's not easy," he said.

Bolt recapped the race expressing his delight that he was still in contention with the rest of the field, neck and neck through the latter stages of the race.

"I look across and I see him start falling over because he is trying to get to the line and I'm like Oh God time the dip, time the dip, time the dip! And I got it right at the end," he said.

Bolt edged Gatlin in a season's best time of 9.79 seconds and he recalled that his reaction afterwords was happiness mixed with relief. "I was happy but you couldn't see it on my face. It was so much pressure that came out of me," he said. For me it was one of the hardest races that I have ever run in my entire life," he said.

Bolt would go on to defeat Gatlin again days later in the 200m final capturing his fourth consecutive title in the event in a world leading time of 19.55 seconds.