Justin Gatlin, the most controversial sprinter of all time?

Captured many hearts
Divided opinions
Early life
Early success
Banned
Overturned
Turning pro
Making his mark
Olympic champion
World record
Second positive test
Pleading innocence
Conspiracy
A second ban
Comeback
Olympics return
Consistently fast
Controversial champion
A difficult question
Captured many hearts

Justin Gatlin captured many hearts during his career, but the American was no stranger to controversy.

Divided opinions

For some, Gatlin is one of the greatest sprinters of all time. For others, a failed drug test cast a dark shadow over what should have been a great career. Let’s take a look at the life and career of Justin Gatlin.

Early life

Gatlin was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he spent his early years on the track as a hurdler. It wasn’t until he was spotted by coaches from the University of Tennessee that he was converted into a sprinter, per the United States Olympic Committee.

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Early success

Gatlin’s switch to primarily focusing on the 100m and 200m events paid off, as he won the 2001 NCAA titles in both sprint distances.

Banned

Gatlin was still in college when he received a ban for taking a banned substance. Following a positive test for amphetamines, the Tennessee Volunteer was banned by the IAAF for two years in international competitions, per World Athletics.

Overturned

Gatlin appealed the drug ban, claiming the medication was for his attention deficit disorder. The IAAF accepted Gatlin’s appeal and reinstated him early.

Turning pro

With another successful NCAA season under his belt, and with the amphetamine ban overturned, Gatlin decided to turn pro in 2002, despite two years of collegiate eligibility left, per World Athletics.

Making his mark

Gatlin’s decision to turn pro paid off immediately, with the sprinter winning the World Indoor 100m and collecting $500,000 (£386,000/€459,000) for coming first, per World Athletics. The purse was, at the time, one of the largest in the sport’s history.

Olympic champion

2004 saw the Olympics take place in Athens, the historical home of the Games. For Gatlin, the Games had been his target for two years, with he and his team preparing as best they could to take home the gold. Their preparation worked, with the American taking first place from Francis Obikwelu of Portugal by one-hundredth of a second, per the Olympics.

World record

Gatlin’s next two seasons saw more success, winning the World Championships in 2005 before claiming the 100m world record the next year with a time of 9.76 seconds, shaving one-hundredth of a second off Asafa’ Powell’s time, per the IAAF archive.

Second positive test

2006 saw Gatlin test positive for a banned substance for the second time in his career, this time for a substance that was “testosterone or its precursor,” per TSN.

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Pleading innocence

Gatlin refused to accept blame for the positive test, telling reporters, “I cannot account for these results, because I have never knowingly used any banned substance or authorized anyone to administer such a substance to me,” per BBC Sport.

Conspiracy

Gatlin’s coach, Trevor Graham, had eight athletes test positive for performance-enhancing drugs during a short period, per The Guardian. Graham claimed the results were due to sabotage, with Gatlin’s masseuse applying a cream with testosterone in without the sprinter’s knowledge.

A second ban

Initially, Gatlin was banned for eight years following the second positive test of his career, however, “Given his cooperation and the circumstances relating to Mr Gatlin's first offence,” the ban was reduced to eight years by the USADA, per BBC Sport.

Comeback

Having spent much of his ban attempting to forge a career in the NFL, Gatlin eventually returned to the track in 2010.

Olympics return

London 2012 saw Gatlin back at the Olympics under a cloud of controversy following his ban for performing-enhancing drugs. Despite the cloud over him, the American was able to take bronze in the 100m sprint, finishing behind Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

Consistently fast

The next few years saw Gatlin continue to compete at a high level, without finishing atop the podium with any consistency. 2016 saw the sprinter take silver in the Rio Olympics, again finishing behind Usain Bolt.

Controversial champion

2017 saw Gatlin take home another World Championships title, winning the 100m despite facing Usain Bolt and teammate Christian Coleman in the final. Gatlin’s victory was met by boos from the London crowd, per LetsRun.

A difficult question

Following his win, Gatlin posed an interesting question to ITV News, “The sport’s okay with people coming back and running and competing, but is the sport okay with these people who have had bans winning?” As Jonathan Gault writes for LetsRun, “For a sizable portion of track & field fans, the answer is no. For good reason, they will never accept a convicted doper like Gatlin back into the sport”.

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