Gatlin wants more after ‘bittersweet’ worlds
American sprinter won the 100m in Friday’s Diamond League meet
PHOTO: AFP
BRUSSELS:
Justin Gatlin has warned that he will be “hungry” when the Rio Olympics roll around in 2016 after bringing to an end a “successful, yet bittersweet” year in which he won double world sprint silvers.
Gatlin, in the absence of Jamaican star Usain Bolt, won the 100m in 9.98sec at Friday’s season-ending Diamond League meet in Brussels, but sustained a thigh strain that saw him withdraw from the 200m as a precaution.
The controversial American, who has served two doping bans, said his experience at last month’s world championships in Beijing had been “bittersweet”, as Bolt left him with silver in both the 100 and 200m events.
“I regard it as a successful season,” said the 33-year-old about 2015, when he set the fastest 100m of the year back, 9.74sec, in Doha in May. “Obviously I want more so that’s going to make me hungry in 2016.”
Looking back at his Beijing experience, Gatlin said, “It’s bittersweet. Obviously I wanted to go out there and win and run a very fast time. To be able to come away with two silver medals is still very, very good.”
Gatlin, who will be 34 when the Rio Games come around, said the build-up to the Olympics would be different to his normal season when he likes to start running very early.
Gatlin rebounded from a first doping ban to claim 100m gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the sprint double at the 2005 worlds in Helsinki before serving a second doping ban between 2006-10.
He returned from that latter suspension to nail the 2012 world 60m indoor title, Olympic bronze at the London Games and a world silver in Moscow a year later.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2015.
Justin Gatlin has warned that he will be “hungry” when the Rio Olympics roll around in 2016 after bringing to an end a “successful, yet bittersweet” year in which he won double world sprint silvers.
Gatlin, in the absence of Jamaican star Usain Bolt, won the 100m in 9.98sec at Friday’s season-ending Diamond League meet in Brussels, but sustained a thigh strain that saw him withdraw from the 200m as a precaution.
The controversial American, who has served two doping bans, said his experience at last month’s world championships in Beijing had been “bittersweet”, as Bolt left him with silver in both the 100 and 200m events.
“I regard it as a successful season,” said the 33-year-old about 2015, when he set the fastest 100m of the year back, 9.74sec, in Doha in May. “Obviously I want more so that’s going to make me hungry in 2016.”
Looking back at his Beijing experience, Gatlin said, “It’s bittersweet. Obviously I wanted to go out there and win and run a very fast time. To be able to come away with two silver medals is still very, very good.”
Gatlin, who will be 34 when the Rio Games come around, said the build-up to the Olympics would be different to his normal season when he likes to start running very early.
Gatlin rebounded from a first doping ban to claim 100m gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the sprint double at the 2005 worlds in Helsinki before serving a second doping ban between 2006-10.
He returned from that latter suspension to nail the 2012 world 60m indoor title, Olympic bronze at the London Games and a world silver in Moscow a year later.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2015.