Usain Bolt had strained relationship with fierce Olympic rival after they 'stopped talking' to each other

Usain Bolt had a strained relationship with an Olympic rival who he said "stopped talking" to him.

Bolt remains the fastest man on earth over 100 metres, with his time of 9.58 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in 2009 looking extremely difficult for anyone to beat.

The Jamaican also ran 200 metres in 19.19 seconds and has a staggering eight Olympic gold medals to his name, along with being an 11-time world champion.

In Bolt's world-record breaking race, Tyson Gay of the United States came second with a time of 9.71 seconds - the third-fastest in history - but still could not run him close.

Gay finally got the better of Bolt at the Diamond League in Stockholm in 2010, handing him his first 100 metres defeat in two years when he clocked in a time of 9.84 seconds.

Bolt was irritated by two false starts and had been struggling with a calf injury he suffered a couple of months before. However, he refused to come with excuses and acknowledged Gay was "in better shape than me"

Gay also said, "Deep down I knew he wasn't 100%" and wanted to beat Bolt when he was at his very best. But while there appeared to be a mutual of respect between the pair, on the surface, it turns out they aren't exactly friendly.

They were closer when they were younger and coming up at the same time but according to Bolt, it all changed when he started to move ahead and Gay "stopped talking".

"We talk, but I wouldn't say we're friends," Bolt said on Gay in an interview with USA Today.

"I don't have a problem. Not to say anything, but I think everybody deals with losing differently.

"When I came on the scene, me and Tyson, we were kind of close friends. We used to beat each other. Tyson would win one, Wallace [Spearmon] would win one race, I would get one race. And then Tyson started beating both of us, and we would always talk, hang out. As soon as I start winning, all of that changes. He stopped talking to me. And I think everybody deals with losing differently."

Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay were never the best of friends. Image: Getty

Years later and Gay, the second-fastest man in history, tested positive for a anabolic steroids and was given a one-year ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, as well as being stripped of the silver medal he won with the 4x100m relay team at the London 2012 Olympics.

He returned a year after but Bolt was furious with what he felt was a lenient punishment, explaining he was not looking forward to facing Gay and stating that he should have been banned for life.

"I was really upset about that," Bolt told Runner's World.

"He got a year just because he talked to the authorities about how it was done and who helped him. That sends the wrong message: ‘If you do it and get caught, just tell us all you know and we’ll lower your ban’. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. The message should be: ‘If you cheat you’re going to be kicked out of the sport’.”

Bolt retired in 2017 after struggling with injuries, with Gay hanging up his spikes four years later in 2021.