“He wanted a picture of the tattoos on my arms,” said Gatlin.

“I was angry, I am not going to lie. This was the biggest race of my life and I don’t want anybody that I don’t even know taking photos of me.

“I was putting my spikes on in the call room. He was taking pictures of me. He wanted pictures of tattoos that I have had since I was 15.”

Obadele Thompson, who finished seventh, knew the rest of the field were in trouble when Gatlin stomped onto the track.

“He was pretty worked up. I think we got on the wrong end of his stick,” said the Barbadian.

“Gatlin was a little bit irritated – it was nothing to do with any of the athletes. I think he got really keyed up for the race.”

But Gatlin said tonight he wanted to thank the man for stoking his boilers just before the biggest race of his life.

“I am still trying to feel how fast I ran,” he said.

“I really don’t know how fast I ran. Shockingly fast. I am glad I have the gold medal.

“I knew I could take a 9.85, I just didn’t know when it was going to happen.

“That is what I work so hard for on the track, to show everybody here and round the world that track and field can be positive and all sports can still be positive.

“It was the best run I ever had in my life, the best race ever.

“Honestly, I didn’t see anybody. I just when I crossed the line I was 100 miles ahead. I knew it was close, but I knew I won.”

Gatlin also revealed he had been concerned by his slow starts through the heats and had worked on changing his speed out of the blocks right up to the last minute.

And it worked.

“It was my best start ever. Before I even got into my race I felt I was slow off the block and I went out there and fixed it right before the finals. I was winging it.”

In a race that had been expected to be dominated by Shawn Crawford and Asafa Powell, Gatlin burst into the lead early and clung on to take the title.

“It is a new era for all sprinters and young athletes. It’s not my era, it’s all of our eras. I am just carrying the flag for all young sportsmen.”