Michael Johnson "amazed" by Usain Bolt's "best ever race"

Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson has said that Usain Bolt's nail-biting 100m World Championship win over Justin Gatlin represents his "best race ever".

The Jamaican superstar pipped his American counterpart to gold in Beijing on Sunday by one hundredth of a second to retain his title with a winning time of 9.79s.

Two-time doper Gatlin went into the contest as favourite based on a 28-race unbeaten run, coupled with Bolt's indifferent form in 2015, and Johnson reckons that the 29-year-old's latest success should take pride of place among his many accolades.

"I'm amazed. This is Usain Bolt's best race ever. He knew it was a completely different set of circumstances for him," he told BBC Sport of the six-time Olympic champion.

"He'll be most proud of this win without a doubt. It's not about technique, it's about running for your life and he's got the talent to be able to do that."

The victory was Bolt's ninth world title, having previously won six others in the 200m and sprint relays.