Usain Bolt shares footage of his return to the track as rival Justin Gatlin issues 11-word response.

Usain Bolt has sparked excitement among fans after sharing new footage of himself back on the track.

The Jamaican sprint legend, who retired in 2017 after a phenomenal career that saw him earn eight Olympic gold medals across the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, is widely considered the greatest sprinter of all time. His last competitive appearance came at the 2017 World Championships, where he suffered an injury during the final leg of the 4x100m relay.

Despite being away from competition for eight years, Bolt recently teased a possible return by posting a video on Instagram. While in Oslo for the Bislett Games part of the Diamond League he was seen doing a practice start, suggesting he may be missing life on the track.

In the caption of the slow-motion clip, the 38-year-old asked fans, “Talk to me my peeps… unnu think I still got it?”

Among those reacting to the clip was former rival Justin Gatlin, who seemed pleased to see Bolt revisiting his sprinting roots. Bolt had an edge over Gatlin in their head-to-head history, winning 10 of their 18 100m encounters. He once recalled how Gatlin spit across his lane before their first race a reflection of their intense rivalry.

In a 2023 interview with talkSPORT, Bolt revealed he was once offered a serious comeback deal. “The CEO at the time he’s now with Adidas told me, ‘We’ll give you a proper contract if you want to come back,’” Bolt said. However, his longtime coach Glen Mills quickly shut the idea down, reminding him that retirement meant no return.

Bolt admitted the temptation was strong: “When you leave the sport, you start to miss it. I thought, ‘Maybe I should try again,’ but Coach said, ‘Nope,’ and that was that.”