Justin Gatlin Reveals Why Trayvon Bromell Struggled in Prefontaine Classic Loss to Kishane Thompson

American sprint icon Justin Gatlin has offered a detailed breakdown of why Trayvon Bromell failed to match Kishane Thompson’s explosive performance at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, a Wanda Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Gatlin shed light on what he believes held Bromell back as he settled for third place behind Thompson who ran a blistering 9.85 and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes who clocked 9.91 in second while he himself ran 9.94 seconds.

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“Trayvon didn’t look himself. I actually had a conversation with Trayvon and he said he felt flat. That comes with the territory, bro," Gatlin revealed.

"Sometimes when you are running very fast at practice and maybe your cool down time or rest period to get ready for a race isn't optimal, you may end up flat," he added.

Gatlin, a former Olympic and world champion, pinpointed the specific segment of Bromell’s race where things began to unravel.

“Watching his race, he seemed a little sticky at like the 60-meter to 70-meter mark and he really couldn’t kind of hit that gear or roll with Kishane through that run.”

He went on to praise Thompson’s technique and form, which made the difference in Eugene.

“Kishane runs 9.85 right in this race and the way he does it, he just builds up from the start and goes faster, faster, faster," noted Gatlin.

"He has a smooth drive phase, transition, top-end speed. There’s no separation in it, and he does a great job of that. So when you're racing against someone like that, you have to make sure that you're popping in all your segments so you can roll with that. And it just didn’t happen for Trayvon on the day.”

Despite the misstep, Gatlin emphasized that Bromell’s talent and speed are unquestioned.

“Trayvon’s already a 9.8 guy. He’s already shown it this year with, I think, a 9.86 under his belt. So it’s not like he can’t run that time—we know he can.”

Gatlin concluded by attributing the outcome to timing and preparation, noting, “It’s a fact of being prepared and ready on that day. It just wasn’t his day to do so.”

With the U.S. Olympic Trials and global championships on the horizon, Gatlin’s analysis suggests that Bromell remains a serious contender, provided he gets the timing and recovery right.