US Olympic athlete idol talks about seeing Maurice Greene win Olympic gold, duel with the great Usain Bolt and playing mind games and backing away from the notoriety of two doping bans.
US Olympic athlete idol talks about seeing Maurice Greene win Olympic gold, duel with the great Usain Bolt and playing mind games and backing away from the notoriety of two doping bans.
Even as a child in Brooklyn (New York), Justin Gatlin was sharp. Though he was not aware of the career prospects in track and field, he had all the qualities of an athlete.
“When I was little, my life was about how high I could jump, and how fast I could run. I used to jump over fire hydrants in Brooklyn, and I would run into other kids on neighborhood streets ,” Gatlin said.
“I was a lot faster than all the other kids. I’d tell them to get on their bikes, and still beat them. I knew there was something special in me, even though I didn’t know that track and field was an organized It’s a game.”
The American, the brand ambassador of TCS World 10K Bengaluru, will 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 medalist and five-time world championship winner Maurice Greene.
Gatlin will get a chance to meet Green at the grandest stage ever – the 2004 Athens Olympics. Gatlin noted that being on the USA team for the Olympics was also a great achievement. “It was a eureka moment to make it to the 2004 Olympics. it is especially difficult to make
The United States team, as we always have, has a great pool of sprinters,” Gatlin said.
At the 2004 United States Olympic Trials held in Sacramento, Gatlin finished second in the 100 m and 200 m events. In the 100 meters, Gatlin (9.92 s) was defeated by Green (9.91 s).
Come Athens, the script was ready to change. Despite a slow start, Gatlin won the gold medal at a tight end, with Portugal’s Francis Obikavelu finishing a hundredth for the silver medal and defending champion Greene another hundredth for the bronze.
“I had pictures of Green all over my wall. I called myself ‘Justin Green’. One fine day, I woke up at the start of the Olympics with the guy who inspired me,” Gatlin said.
conscious effort
He made a conscious effort not to be intimidated by the opportunity – a situation that had afflicted him before. “The first time I ran a professional 100 meters against Green was an out-of-body experience. I watched in amazement as Green passed me and won. As the race ended, my agent said, ‘Now you Be a professional athlete. You’re here to win, not to be your idol.’ My agent was right,” Gatlin said.
There would be no place for hero worship in Athens, as Gatlin ruined Green’s bid to win 100m Olympic gold for the second time in a row. “I was delighted to carry the sprint torch given to me by Greene,” Gatlin said.
Green’s career began to fade from there, even after the emergence of a new major star in Usain Bolt. Bolt, who went on to become one of the most decorated sprinters of all time, posed a great challenge to Gatlin and the other competitors.
Gatlin and Bolt faced each other on several occasions, and Bolt was often on top. Bolt twice won gold at the Olympics (London 2012 and Rio 2016), while Gatlin won bronze and silver.
Their rivalry was fierce, fueled by contrasting approaches to sport and life. Gatlin described himself as intense, and said that on race day, he tried to “zone in, lock in, and be a tiger”. Bolt, on the other hand, was relaxed and witty in pressure situations.
universal fan favorite
Superman: When he was young, how high could Gatlin jump and how fast he could run. , photo credit: PTI
Bolt’s easygoing demeanor made him a universal fan. As Bolt’s main rival, the hard-faced Gatlin was portrayed as the villain.
Gatlin did not help his cause by making boastful claims at the cost of Bolt. Things got heated when Bolt considered retiring ahead of Rio 2016, citing his lack of motivation and interest in the sport. Gatlin responded by claiming that he would bring the gold medal back to the United States and display it in a grand parade. There were also objections that Bolt no longer had the stomach to fight on the track.
It didn’t go down well with the Bolt. In the documentary ‘I Am Bolt’, the protagonist reveals that Gatlin’s comments ignited a fire within him. Jamaica returned with a vengeance, winning gold in Rio to become the first athlete to win the 100 meters at the Olympics three times.
Asked if he regretted beating the Bears, Gatlin replied, “I don’t regret it at all. If Bolt had retired and I kept going, people wouldn’t see our best rivalry. Sports and fans.” We needed to compete. I want to be able to.”
As much as he wants his legacy to be centered around his rivalry with Bolt, there is the larger doping issue that affected Gatlin’s career. He imposed two doping bans – the first in 2001 for testing positive for amphetamine, and the second in 2006 for testing positive for testosterone.
Gatlin doesn’t shy away from questioning his doping offenses. He also puts a positive spin on this embarrassment, saying that the time he served in suspension made him more eager to return as a better athlete.
However, being forced to sit out of the game, caused mental turmoil.
“When I was competing, I had meaning in my life. When I was suspended I had to ask myself – ‘Who am I? Who is Justin?’ It was hard for me to navigate emotionally during those four years (the second suspension). At the same time, physically, I yearned to be on track there. When I finally got over all those frustrating moments, It really lit a fire in me. I became firm in my belief that I had to be the person who controls my destiny. I bet on myself, and that was the best way to go,” Gatlin said.
After nearly two decades as a professional athlete, Gatlin took off his shoes earlier this year. After failing to make it to the USA track team for the Tokyo Olympics, the 40-year-old made the announcement on social media.
“After the Olympic Trials, I lay in bed and cried. My whole career was centered around Olympic success. And then one day, that was all over. Now I have to embark on a new journey,” Gatlin said. Told.