Justin Gatlin: When I was competing, I had meaning in my life

The American Olympic athlete talks about beating idol Maurice Greene to Olympic gold, duelling and playing mind-games with the great Usain Bolt, and bouncing back from the ignominy of two doping bans

Even as a kid in Brooklyn (New York), Justin Gatlin was fast. He may not have been aware of career possibilities in track and field, but he had all the qualities of an athlete.

“When I was young, my life was all about how high I could jump, and how fast I could run. I used to jump over fire hydrants in Brooklyn, and I raced other kids down the neighbourhood streets,” Gatlin said.

“I was much, much faster than all the other kids. I would tell them to get on their bikes, and still defeat them. I knew there was something special in me, even if I did not know that track and field was an organised sport.”

The American, the brand ambassador of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru, would go on to compete and excel in official track events during his high school (Woodham High School, Florida) and college (University of Tennessee) years. His idol was two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time World Championship winner Maurice Greene.

Gatlin would get his chance to take on Greene on the grandest stage — the 2004 Athens Olympics. Gatlin mentioned that even earning a spot in the USA team for the Olympics was a big feat. “Making it to the 2004 Olympics was a eureka moment. It is especially hard to make it to the

USA team, as we always have a terrific pool of sprinters,” Gatlin said.

At the 2004 United States Olympic trials held in Sacramento, Gatlin finished second in the 100m and 200m events. In the 100m, Gatlin (9.92s) was edged out by Greene (9.91s).