USA sprinter Justin Gatlin didn’t leave Beijing on the best of terms. He had planned to run the 100 meters at the Beijing World Challenge despite some nagging injuries. He was having trouble with calf cramps. He told officials that he may need a replacement. Somehow it was lost in translation, resulting in him departing without competing.
“Everything was just a misunderstanding,” Gatlin said during a press conference before the Prefontaine Classic Friday afternoon. “I’m just moving forward — the next big race is the Prefontaine and that’s what I am focusing on.”
The event in Beijing was just the latest in what has been a bizarre month for the controversial 33-year-old sprinter. Gatlin will be forced to give up his silver medal earned during the 2012 London Games due to Tyson Gay’s doping case. He also ran the fastest 100 of his life and the best in the world this year, posting a time of 9.74 seconds in Doha. Only four sprinters, including Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, have ever done better in the event.
Gatlin is chasing Bolt, fueling a rivalry with the Jamaican’s that was inflamed recently at the IAAF World Relays Championships in the Bahamas. Gatlin watched as his teammate Ryan Baily was able to hold onto a lead as the anchor during the 4×100 to claim the gold.
During his celebration Bailey turned to the camera and mocked Bolt’s famous lightning bolt pose, doing his own with an additional throat slash.
“Ryan Baily is his own man when he goes out and runs, it’s definitely not something we rehearsed before the race,” Gatlin said. “We just wanted to go out there and stay in the zone.”
At the Pre Classic Gatlin will be running the 200 on Saturday. His college coach always told him it was his best race, so he has been trying to embrace it. His goal is to qualify to represent Team USA in both the 100 and 200 at the World Championships.
Gatlin ran the 200 in Monaco last year, running his first sub-20 time of his career after crossing in 19.68. It was his first time running a 200 overseas since 2005, and facing a loaded field there weren’t many expectations that he would run as well as he did.
“I was actually just a name draw to be able to bring more people to watch the race,” Gatlin said. “I don’t think a lot of people predicted me to go out to win with that time.”
Gatlin treats the 100 and 200 in a similar way, trying to keep the same mindset in both events. That means being focused, relaxed and staying confident in his race strategy.
“Obviously you have to elongate it and make sure fatigue doesn’t set in coming down the home stretch,” Gatlin added on what he does during the 200.
As for those pesky cramps that derailed things in Beijing, Gatlin says he is feeling really good.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur