Justin Gatlin appeared to be jogging for much of his first appearance at the US trials, yet still breezed under the 20sec barrier in qualifying for Sunday’s 200m final. Gatlin, who automatically qualifies for the 100m at the World Championships by virtue of topping the Diamond League standings in 2014, went out hard in lane eight but eased up at the bend, coasting home in 19.92.
Afterwards Gatlin, who has now not been beaten for 20 races – stretching back to 2013 - said he thought he could have threatened Tyson Gay’s US record of 9.69 had he run the 100m. “That’s what I’ve been working on, steadily but surely. I want to be able to go out there and do something like that. But I’ve got a long season so I want to be here for the rest of the season,” he said.
On Friday the former British athlete John Regis had predicted that Gatlin could even break Usain Bolt’s 100m world record of 9.58. The American, though, isn’t so sure. “I have a lot of respect for John given the times he’s run back in his day. So I hope to live up to what he says and I’m very honoured.”
Gatlin intends to double up in the 100m and 200m in Beijing but says that while Bolt has struggled so far in 2015 and pulled out of the US trials he is taking nothing for granted.
“He’s got byes for the both, so why go out there and feel the pressure from the young guys trying to beat you, trying to basically get their confidence up,“ he said. “Go home, train, get yourself ready for Beijing, come out like a champion.”
