Twenty years can feel like a long time.
In 2004, Shrek 2 was the biggest film of the year in the United States. Myspace – yes, that one social media site – was becoming bigger and bigger, and Facebook was co-launched that year. The new Motorola Razr phone was released for $499.
For some, that means it’s also been five summer Olympics.
The 2024 Paris Olympics begin on Friday with the Opening Ceremony. A little less than 20 years ago, Pensacola native Justin Gatlin was gearing up for his first Olympics appearance in the 2004 Athens Olympics in track.
A year removed from the World Indoor Championships, Gatlin went on to win the 100-meter dash in 9.85 seconds, while also earning the bronze medal in the 200-meter and silver as part of the American 4x100-meter relay squad.
That essentially began an incredible nearly 20-year professional career that saw a total of five Olympic medals won, 10 World Championships medals earned and numerous other accomplishments. He retired in 2022 at the age of 40.
But has it really been 20 years since Athens?
“It feels like five years, maybe 10,” Gatlin told the PNJ. “But 20? No way at all.”
Gatlin was fast. His life was about sprinting – after all, that’s what he did on the track incredibly, becoming one of the world’s fastest alongside other big names like Jamaica’s Usain Bolt. His fastest time in the 100-meter dash, 9.74 seconds, was accomplished at the at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, now known as the Doha Diamond League, in 2015.
That entire season is one of the fastest seasons in sprinting history, and Gatlin ran a sub-9.80-second 100-meter five times in one year.
A career defined by a straightaway on a track, accomplished in less than 10 seconds.
“Trying to slow down a little bit,” Gatlin said about what he’s been doing since retirement. “I’ve been working on things I didn’t have a chance to when I was running.”
Justin Gatlin’s book to be released July 23
Even while he was still running, numerous people told Gatlin he should write a book about his career. The ultimate highs of winning Olympic gold in Athens, and the defeating lows, such as the four-year ban from competing in track and field.
But he had a career to focus on. Gatlin took a year after he officially retired and then began the book, which is set to be released on Tuesday – perfect timing heading into the Olympic games, he noted.
The book, titled “Ready, Set, Go!: From Grind to Glory: the Justin Gatlin Story,” isn’t just a biography about his running career. While that does take up a part of the book, Gatlin said his goal with the book is “a unique perspective.”
While part of his chapters speak on his career, another part of the book is “activations.”
“I’m basically trying to teach the readers how to find their strengths, how to overcome pitfalls, etc.,” Gatlin said. “My target audience I’m looking at are young athletes who are trying to find their way, who are not getting answers to their questions.”
Gatlin’s parents, Willie and Jeanette, also have a section in the book, that gives their perspective as well. His parents’ part of the book is able to be used as a “guide” to give a prospective athlete’s parents an “understanding of how to be a parent” of a top athlete.
“The typical thing is that your parents played sports, and that’s how you got involved in sports. But neither one of my parents participated in sports growing up or even as adults. I found sports, fell in love with sports, and they supported me throughout my entire career,” Gatlin said. “They give their perspective on basically how to grow an athlete, how to have an eye to see if your child has champion qualities. …
“It’s almost like a workbook with part of my biography and then my parents all rolled into one,” Gatlin added.
Becoming a voice for the sport
“Ready Set Go” is also the name of Gatlin’s podcast, where he dives into the sport of track and field a little bit more. Yes, he does talk about his story and his career, but Gatlin – with podcast co-host Rodney Green, a sprinter from the Bahamas – dissects the sport where he breaks down racing and athletes.
In the podcast description, Gatlin writes people might know him as the “most decorated sprinter of all time, or the guy who beat Usain Bolt in his last race, or the guy that overcome a lifetime ban.” But in the podcast, he tells his own story – plus adds in his knowledge of track and field.
“I’m able to give a better understanding to the average fan or viewer, and give them a behind-the-scenes look. It’s kind of like shop talk. We don’t have that going on in our sport,” Gatlin said, noting he’s trying to become the world of track and field’s Stephen A. Smith or Shannon Sharpe. “I jumped at the opportunity to help educate but also give my perspective on things.”
The podcast has been running since January 2023, when Gatlin began started the series with an episode about his ban from track and field, including the fact that his “love for the sport never wavered.”
“When you try and watch track and field on television, you only get a snippet of an understanding of the star athlete of the day. … You don’t really get a chance to understand the setup: the training, their mindset, their confidence,” Gatlin said. “I try to lay out a perspective that the audience will understand, so that when track athletes line up, they’re not just rooting for the fastest guy, they’re rooting for all the athletes that are there because it takes a bravery to step up to that line and compete in front of hundreds of thousands of people and also millions watching at home.”
Inspiring the next generation
Despite not living in Pensacola anymore, Gatlin still gets a warm welcome whenever he comes home to northwest Florida. His parents are still local to the area.
Gatlin competed at Woodham High School, famously leading the Titans to a Class 3A state championship in 2000, scoring 36 of Woodham’s winning 52.5 points. At the meet, he ran what was called the “suicide mission,” including the 110-meter hurdles and the 100-meter dash, two events that are back-to-back at a track meet.
Upon winning the 110-meter hurdle title, Gatlin had to rush from the podium after accepting his medal just to make it to his next event. He then ran a 10.69-second 100-meter to win gold there, too. Gatlin also finished a half inch away from a state title in the long jump that year.
“As soon as I step into the city of Pensacola, I just have so much nostalgia. I love riding around and seeing places from when I was a teenager. People notice me and say, ‘Hey, Champ!’ There’s so much love,” Gatlin said. “I wish I was able to be like Roy Jones and train in Pensacola. I think that would’ve been great, because Pensacola is so near and dear to my heart. …
“It makes all the hard work, all the blood, sweat and tears, it makes it all worth it,” said Gatlin, who went on to run collegiately at the University of Tennessee. “I don’t care about the rest of the world praising me or not praising me. But for Pensacola, my hometown, it so means so much that they acknowledge my success and hard work.”
And even though he’s not in the area, Gatlin has childhood friends who keep him up-to-date on what’s going on in Pensacola, especially top athletes from the area. High-school aged athletes weren’t even born yet when Gatlin competed in his first Olympics.
“In 2004, people were just hoping to make the podium or get a gold medal. After that, we didn’t know what to do. That was our common goal. Now, a bunch of athletes have influence and they can win a gold medal, followed by using their platform or influence to gain sponsorships or notoriety. Those are the opportunities I didn’t have in 2004,” Gatlin said. “It gives me the opportunity to reach out to those young athletes and give them words of wisdom, and do whatever I can to help them to get to that next level.”
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
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