Justin Gatlin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Justin Gatlin

Gatlin in 2009
Personal information
Born	(1982-02-10) February 10, 1982 (age 43) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in
Weight	183 lb
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Sprints
College team	University of Tennessee Volunteers
Team	Nike
Coached by	Dennis Mitchell
Retired	2022
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	60 m: 6.45 (Boston 2003) 100 m: 9.74 (Doha 2015) 200 m: 19.57 (Eugene 2015)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 2 2 World Championships 4 6 0 World Indoor Championships 2 0 0 World Athletics Relays 2 1 0 Event 1st 2nd 3rd 60 m 2 0 0 100 m 3 4 1 200 m 1 1 1 4 × 100 m relay 3 4 0 Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 100 m Silver 2004 Athens 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m Bronze 2004 Athens 200 m Bronze 2012 London 100 m World Championships Gold 2005 Helsinki 100 m Gold 2005 Helsinki 200 m Gold 2017 London 100 m Gold 2019 Doha 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2013 Moscow 100 m Silver 2013 Moscow 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2015 Beijing 100 m Silver 2015 Beijing 200 m Silver 2017 London 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2019 Doha 100 m World Indoor Championships Gold 2003 Birmingham 60 m Gold 2012 Istanbul 60 m World Athletics Relays Gold 2015 Nassau 4 × 100 m relay Gold 2017 Nassau 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2019 Yokohama 4 × 100 m relay Diamond League Winner 2013 100 m Winner 2014 100 m Winner 2015 100 m

Justin Alexander Gatlin is a retired American sprinter. He was born on February 10, 1982. He competed in short-distance running events like the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. Justin Gatlin is an Olympic champion and a multiple World Champion. He won the 100 meters at the 2004 Olympics. He also won the 100 meters and 200 meters at the 2005 World Championships. Later, he won the 100 meters again at the 2017 World Championships.

Gatlin also helped the USA team win the 4 × 100 meters relay at the 2019 World Championships. He is a two-time World Indoor Champion in the 60 meters. Overall, he has won 5 Olympic medals and 12 World Championship medals. He also won two gold medals in the 4 × 100 meters relay at the World Athletics Relays. Justin Gatlin is a three-time Diamond League Champion in the 100 meters. He won this title in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Justin Gatlin's fastest time in the 100 meters is 9.74 seconds. This makes him one of the fastest sprinters ever. He is known for his long career in sprinting.

In 2001, Gatlin faced a ban from competing internationally. This was because a test result showed a banned substance. The ban was later reduced. In 2006, he faced another ban due to a test result. This ban lasted four years. His world record time of 9.77 seconds in the 100 meters was removed because of this.

Gatlin returned to racing in August 2010. In 2012, at the age of 30, he ran the 100 meters in 9.80 seconds. This was the fastest time ever for a man over 30 at that point. In 2015, he improved this record to 9.74 seconds. This is still his personal best.

At the London 2012 Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the 100 meters. He won a silver medal in the 100 meters at the 2016 Olympics. At 34, he became the oldest man to win an Olympic medal in a sprint race that wasn't a relay. In 2017, at 35, he won the 100 meters gold at the World Championships. This was 12 years after his first win in that event. He retired from the sport in 2022, on his 40th birthday.

Early Career in Track and Field

High School and College Years

Justin Gatlin went to Woodham High School in Pensacola, Florida. There, he started as a hurdler. Coaches from the University of Tennessee noticed his talent. They offered him a scholarship and helped him become a sprinter. In 2001, during his first year at Tennessee, Gatlin won two NCAA titles. He won the 100 meters and the 200 meters.

Early Suspension from Competition

Soon after, Gatlin was suspended from international competitions for two years. This was because a test result showed a banned substance. Gatlin explained that the positive test was due to medication he had taken since childhood for attention deficit disorder. His appeal led to an earlier return to competition. He was still allowed to compete in college events and won four more NCAA titles.

After his second year in college, Gatlin decided to become a professional athlete. He moved to Florida to train with a new coach, Trevor Graham.

Professional Sprinting Career

2003: First World Indoor Title

In his first indoor season as a professional, Gatlin won the national 60 meters title. He ran it in 6.45 seconds, which was his fastest time yet. Two weeks later, he won his first world title. He clocked 6.46 seconds at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham.

Gatlin then had a hamstring injury and missed some important races. This meant he couldn't compete at the World Championships in Paris. Later that year, he ran the 100 meters in under ten seconds for the first time. To get ready for the Olympic Games in Athens, he skipped the 2004 indoor season.

2004: Becoming an Olympic Champion

Gatlin's plan worked well. He qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He finished second in both the 100 meters and 200 meters at the Olympic Trials. The next month, Gatlin made history. He won the Olympic 100 meter title in 9.85 seconds. This was his new personal best.

The 100-meter race was very close. He won by just one hundredth of a second. In the 200 meters, Gatlin won a bronze medal. American runners won all three medals in that race. He also won a silver medal as part of the 4 × 100 meters relay team. In late 2004, Gatlin graduated from the University of Tennessee.

2005: Double World Champion

After winning an Olympic title, Gatlin was a top favorite for the 100-meter title at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. Another top runner, Asafa Powell, was injured and couldn't compete. Gatlin won the 100 meters in 9.88 seconds. His winning gap was the largest in World Championship 100-meter history.

Gatlin also won the 200 meters, becoming only the second man to win both events at a single World Championships. His American teammates also took the next three spots, which was a first for any country at a World Championship.

2006: World Record Attempt and Suspension

On May 12, 2006, Gatlin initially set a new 100-meter world record. He ran 9.76 seconds, which was faster than the previous record. However, a few days later, it was announced that his time was actually 9.766 seconds, which was rounded up to 9.77 seconds.

Later that year, Gatlin announced that he had a positive test result for a banned substance in April. He said he had never knowingly used any banned substance. He accepted an eight-year ban from track and field. This ban was later reduced to four years after an appeal. His 9.77-second time was then removed from the records.

Comeback and New Challenges

During his ban, Gatlin worked hard to get back into shape. He found a new coach, Loren Seagrave. In his absence, other sprinters like Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt became very famous. Bolt set new world records. Gatlin prepared to compete against this new generation of fast runners.

2010 and 2011: Returning to Competition

On August 3, 2010, Gatlin returned to athletics. He competed in races in Estonia and Finland. He won the 100 meters in 10.24 seconds. His coach noted that his starts were not great, but his finishes were still strong. In 2011, Gatlin ran under 10 seconds again for the first time in five years. He competed at the World Championships but was eliminated in the semi-finals.

2012: World Indoor Champion Again and Olympic Return

Gatlin celebrating his win at the 2012 World Indoor Championships

With new coach Dennis Mitchell, 2012 was a very successful year for Gatlin. He won the 60 meters title at the World Indoor Championships again. He ran 6.46 seconds, the same time he ran to win the title nine years before.

Outdoors, Gatlin won the 100 meters in 9.87 seconds. He then won several other races. In June, Gatlin won the 100-meter final at the Olympic Trials. He set a personal best of 9.80 seconds. This was the fastest time ever for a man over 30 at that time. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won a bronze medal in the 100 meters final. He ran a new personal best of 9.79 seconds.

2013: World Championships Silver and Diamond League Champion

In June 2013, Gatlin beat world record holder Usain Bolt by a tiny amount to win the 100 meters at a race in Rome. In August, Gatlin won a silver medal behind Usain Bolt in the 100 meters at the World Championships. He also won another silver medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay. Gatlin won several Diamond League races in 2013. This made him the Diamond League Champion in the 100 meters for the first time.

2014: Another Diamond League Title

On September 5, 2014, Gatlin won the 100 meters at the Diamond League final in Brussels. He ran 9.77 seconds, a personal best. He also won the 200 meters in 19.71 seconds. This was his second fastest time ever. Gatlin's wins secured him the Diamond League trophy for the second year in a row.

2015: Fastest Season and Relay Gold

On May 2, 2015, Gatlin won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 meters relay at the World Athletics Relays. This was a big win, as it was the first time Usain Bolt and the Jamaican team had been beaten in this relay since 2007. The American team ran 37.38 seconds.

On May 15, 2015, Gatlin improved his personal best in the 100 meters to 9.74 seconds. This was the fastest time in the world since 2012. It also made him the fifth fastest 100-meter runner of all time. He also set a new personal best in the 200 meters, running 19.57 seconds. This was the fifth fastest performance in history.

At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, Gatlin was a favorite to win the 100 meters. He ran 9.77 seconds in the semi-final, the fastest ever in a preliminary round. However, he finished second to Usain Bolt in the final. Gatlin also finished second to Bolt in the 200 meters final. Gatlin ended his 2015 season by winning the Diamond League trophy for the third year in a row.

2016: Olympic Silver Medalist

Gatlin started his 2016 season with wins in Diamond League races. He then won the 100 meters in 9.80 seconds and the 200 meters in 19.75 seconds at the 2016 US Olympic Trials. This made him the oldest sprinter to join an American Olympic team.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Gatlin won a silver medal in the 100 meters final. He ran 9.89 seconds, while Usain Bolt won gold in 9.81 seconds. Gatlin also ran in the 200 meters but did not qualify for the final.

Gatlin at the 2016 Olympics

2017: World Champion and Relay Gold

On April 22, 2017, Gatlin won another gold medal in the 4 × 100 meters relay at the World Athletics Relays. At the 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Justin Gatlin won the 100 meters in 9.95 seconds. He beat younger favorite Christian Coleman. In doing so, he broke a record for masters athletes (runners over 35).

Gatlin was a surprise winner at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. He won gold in the 100 meters in 9.92 seconds, beating Usain Bolt. This was 12 years after his first 100m World title. He beat his American teammate Christian Coleman, who won silver, and Usain Bolt, who won bronze in his final World Championships.

2019: 4 × 100 Meters World Champion

In 2019, Gatlin ran 9.87 seconds in the 100 meters. This improved his own world masters record and made him one of the fastest men that year. Gatlin won the silver medal in the 100 meters final at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. He was 37 years old, making him the oldest sprinter to win a medal in the men's 100 meters at the World Championships.

At the same World Championships, Gatlin was part of the American team that won gold in the 4 × 100 meters relay. This was his first time winning this event at the World Championships. The American team ran 37.10 seconds, which was the fastest time ever by an American team.

2021: Bid for the Tokyo Olympics

In 2021, Gatlin tried to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He was 39 years old and hoped to become the oldest man to win a medal in the 100 meters. He won a race in April 2021 with a time of 9.98 seconds. At the 2020 US Olympic Trials, Gatlin made it to the final. However, he got a hamstring injury during the final and could not finish the race strongly. This ended his chances of going to the Tokyo Olympics.

Statistics

Season's Best Times

All information from World Athletics profile.

• Year rank shows how fast the time was compared to all other times that year.
• Bold means it was his fastest time ever.
• There are no recorded best times for 2002 and 2006–2009 because of his suspensions.

Other Activities

Justin Gatlin appeared on a TV show called Pros vs Joes. On this show, professional athletes competed against people who were not professional athletes.

In 2011, on a Japanese TV show, Gatlin ran 100 meters in 9.45 seconds. This was faster than Usain Bolt's record, but it was with the help of big wind machines. He earned money for appearing on the show.

He also co-hosts a podcast about track and field called Ready Set Go. Famous sprinters like Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell have been guests on his podcast.

Images for kids

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  Gatlin in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Justin Gatlin para niños