Full coverage: 2016 Rio Olympics
The 2004 Olympic champion in the 100 meters says he has a point to prove, and is in good form, this past weekend the 34-year-old clocked a time of 9.80 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials, the fastest by any sprinter this year. The 34-year-old now has his eyes set on a possible showdown with Jamaican spring king Usain Bolt in Rio.
Bolt holds the edge in their 100-metre encounters -- the only time the American came out on top was in Rome during a diamond league meet in 2013.
In the 200 meters they raced twice. Gatlin's victory over the Jamaican came at the Helsinki world championships 11 years ago when an up and coming 18-year-old Bolt was beaten by a ruthless Gatlin who was crowned Olympic 100-meter champion a year earlier in Athens.
At the 2015 World Championships in Beijing the pair ran one of the closest races of all time with Bolt winning by a tenth of a second. The Sprinter said he's proud of what the pair have done for track and field but he's ready for another battle with his old foe.