Justin Gatlin is a famous American track athlete and field sprinter known for running the 100 and 200 meters events. In the 15 years of his career as a professional sprinter, Gatlin has emerged champion several times, winning many medals. Gatlin has run both as an individual and on relay teams and has won 8 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 2 Bronze medals across events like the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the World Indoor Championships and the IAAF World Relays.
Gatlin won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in the 100 meters category. He was also the 2005 and 2017 winner of World Champion title for the same event. He was also adjudged the World Champion in 2005 for the 200 meters events. Gatlin has 5 Olympic medals with a personal best time of 9.74 seconds for 100 meters. In the overall list of male athletes in 100 meters events, Gatlin ranks fifth. Gatlin’s career is riddled with controversies, suspensions and bans which resulted in him losing credibility and incurring a dent on his career.
Early Life and Education
Gatlin was born on 10 February 1982 in Brooklyn, New York, but was raised in the city of Pensacola in Florida. He is the only son of his parents, mother Jeanette and father Willie Gatlin.
Gatlin attended Woodham High School, Pensacola where he was a star athlete and the fastest runner, responsible for helping his team win a state championship. After being spotted by coaches Bill Webb and Vince Anderson, Gatlin was offered a scholarship by University of Tennessee, Knoxville from where came as a high school 110 metre hurdler, but was trained to be a sprinter by his coaches which led him to win 6 NCAA titles consecutively, while also leading his team, ‘The Volunteers’ to 2 NCAA title wins. He left University to pursue athletics professionally in 2002.
Career Rise
At the Summer Olympics of 2004, Gatlin won the gold medal with a time of 9.85 seconds, defeating Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu and Maurice Greene. He also won bronze or 200m race at USA sweep and silver as a squad member of 4 × 100 m relay. Galtin won a gold at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki in 100m sprint with 9.88 seconds. He was also a winner of the Olympic-World Championship double at the 100m for men sprint, while also winning the 200m and became the second athlete in history to ever win at both 100 and 200m sprints within a single World Championship. In 2005, Gatlin equalled Asafa Powell’s world record of 9.77s in 100m at IAAF Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, Doha, Qatar
Gatlin failed a second drug test in April 2006 which resulted in the erasing of his record time of 9.77 seconds and an eight years ban was reduced to a fours year ban. During the span of his ban, he shifted his focus to football working with NFL Houstan Texans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was unsuccessful. Gatlin returned to athletics in August 2010 but took almost two years to return to his earlier form, running the 2012 US Olympic Trials with a time of 9.80s, which became the fastest time by any athlete above 30 years of age. He went on to win a bronze at the 2012 London Olympic with a run time of 9.79s. In 2014, Galtin ran the 200 meters race at Monaco’s IAAF Diamond League with a time of 19.68s and bettered his individual best time to 9.74s at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix in May 2015. At age 35, Gatlin won gold at the 2017 World Championships in the 100 meters event, defeating Olympic champion Usain Bolt.
Wife
Gatlin has never divulged any details about his personal life in the media. Gatlin was married to a woman named Daynise who apparently divorced him for his inability to win a gold medal at the 2016 RIO Olympics. Daynise filed for divorce on the grounds of humiliation owing to Gatlin’s losses. The couple have one child together, a son named Jace.
Controversies
The 1.85 meter tall Gatlin fell into controversy in 2001 when he was banned for two years from participating in international competitions after being tested positive for using the stimulant drug amphetamines. Gatlin claimed that the said drug was a medication he had been taking since childhood to treat his attention deficit disorder. The ban was lifted in Fall 2002.
Justin Gatlin – Net Worth
Gatlin has an estimated net worth of approximately $6.3 Million.