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Quick Facts
- NAME: Justin Gatlin
- OCCUPATION: Track and Field Athlete
- BIRTH DATE: February 10, 1982 (Age: 31)
- EDUCATION: Woodham High School, University of Tennessee
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Brooklyn, New York
- Full Name: Justin Alexander Gatlin
- AKA: Justin Gatlin
- ZODIAC SIGN: Aquarius
Best Known For
Justin Gatlin sprinted to fame by setting a world record in the 100-meter race. Months later, he tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended. Gatlin is slated to make a comeback at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Play NowJustin Gatlin. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:53, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681.
Justin Gatlin. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Justin Gatlin." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 10:53 http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681.
"Justin Gatlin," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Justin Gatlin," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Justin Gatlin [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681.
Justin Gatlin, http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Justin Gatlin. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/justin-gatlin-20889681. Accessed May 22, 2013.
Synopsis
Justin Gatlin was born on February 10, 1982, and raised in Pensacola, Florida. Displaying exceptional athletic skills in high school and college, he won several titles and turned pro in 2000 with a lucrative endorsement contract from Nike. In 2006, he set the world record for the 100-meter sprint, but tested positive for a banned substance only a few months later. After a four-year suspension, he returned to international track and field to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Quotes
"I think this really stakes a claim that I'm a champion ... I'm a competitor. If it means winning by an inch or a mile, I'm there."
"Rain, snow, sleet, it doesn't matter. I'm going to go out and try and win a gold medal."
Early Life
Justin Gatlin was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 10, 1982, and grew up in Pensacola, Florida. At Woodham High School, he was the fastest kid on the team, running the high hurdles and helping the team win the state championship. Seeing his potential, coaches from the University of Tennessee offered him a scholarship as a sprinter. It was 2000, and Justin never looked back.
While at Tennessee, Gatlin won six consecutive NCAA sprint titles and led the "Volunteers" to two NCAA titles. In 2001, he tested positive for amphetamines and was initially banned from international competition for two years. He appealed on the grounds that the test found medication he had been taking since childhood, for treating attention deficit disorder. In the fall of 2002, the IAAF lifted the ban. At age 19, Gatlin turned pro. Shoe manufacturer Nike awarded him one of the largest endorsement contracts in professional track and field.
Olympian and World Champion
At the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Gatlin won a gold medal in the 100-meter sprint, narrowly beating Francis Obikwelu of Portugal and defending champion Maurice Greene. His 9.85 finish was the third fastest in Olympic history. He also received a silver medal in the 4-by-100 relay and a bronze in the 200-meter race. Gatlin extended his dominance at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, capturing gold in the 100-meter race with a 9.88 second finish.
On May 12, 2006, Justin Gatlin set a world record of 9.77 seconds in the 100-meter sprint during qualifying rounds of the IAAF Super Tour in Doha, Qatar. He later won the final, clocking in at 9.88 seconds.
Controversy
In July 2006, Gatlin was suspended from international competition after testing positive for testosterone. He denied using any performance-enhancing drugs, but agreed to an eight-year ban from track and field to avoid a lifetime ban in exchange for his cooperation with authorities. As a result, his 2006 world record was annulled. In December 2007, the ban was reduced to four years.
Over the next four years, Justin Gatlin served out his sentence, looking for other avenues to exercise his exceptional athletic talent. He worked out with the NFL Houston Texans and attended rookie camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though his running drill numbers were impressive, he did not sign with any team. During his hiatus, he got off his training regimen and, due to admitted laziness, swelled his 6-foot frame to more than 200 pounds from a training weight of 182.
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