US sprint great Justin Gatlin announced his retirement from athletics on Thursday, hanging up his spikes after a career tinged by doping controversies that included an Olympic gold medal and multiple World titles.
The 40-year-old veteran, who won gold in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics, confirmed his retirement in a post on Instagram titled ‘Dear Track’.
Ode to a beloved track
“I have loved you track. You gave me tears of sadness and of joy, lessons learned that will never be forgotten,” Gatlin wrote. “The torch is passed but the love will never fade. On your mark, get set... Gone!”
Beating Bolt
He completed a 100m and 200m sprint double at the World Championships in Helsinki in 2005, and also won 100m gold at the 2017 Worlds in London, scoring a rare victory over Jamaican icon Usain Bolt.
He was also part of the USA’s gold-medal winning 4x100m relay team at the Doha World Championships in 2019.
But Gatlin’s career was also touched by scandal, and he was twice suspended for doping offences, first in 2001 and again in 2006.
