Usain Bolt was unsurprised to see Justin Gatlin fail to make the final of the 200 meters at the Rio Olympics, claiming the American is "slowing down."
Reigning champion and world-record holder Bolt booked his place in the final by winning his heat in a season's best 19.78 seconds, though Andre De Grasse ran him close to the line.
Gatlin looked set to join the Jamaican in the final, but was edged out in the third semifinal heat by Panama's Alonso Edward and Churandy Martina of Netherlands with a time of 20.13 seconds.
Bolt beat Gatlin to gold in the 100 meters final Sunday night, and he felt the American had shown signs of a decline in their previous encounter.
"I wasn't truly surprised, I thought he actually made it but I could tell from the 100 meters he was slowing down," said Bolt.
It appeared to some that Gatlin literally slowed down in the final meters of the race, seeming to pull up a bit. He insisted that was not the case and said he has been bothered by an injury this week.
"I'm happy to still be here (for the relays)," Gatlin said. "My ankle is giving me a lot of problems. I can't run properly and I had a tight turn in Lane 3."
Gatlin took bronze in the 200 at the 2004 Athens Games but did not qualify in the race for Beijing or London. He finished second to Bolt in the 200 at last year's world championships.
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