Updated:
Keep
Coinciding with the day he turned 40, the American sprinter Justin Gatlin He announced his retirement from athletics on Thursday, after a career plagued by titles and controversies.
Gatlin, the 2004 Athens 100m gold medalist, confirmed his departure from the sport in an Instagram post titled “Dear Track.”
«I have loved you, hint. You gave me tears of sadness and joy, lessons learned that will never be forgotten,” the athlete wrote. “The torch has been passed but love will never fade.”
Gatlin’s withdrawal was long overdue. The New York athlete had tried to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but suffered a hamstring injury at the US qualifying trials in Eugene, Oregon.
In his career, Gatlin completed a double win in the 100m and 200m at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki and also claimed gold in the 100m at the 2017 Worlds in London, scoring a rare win over Jamaican Usain Bolt in the process.
She was also part of the United States 4x100m relay team that won gold at the Doha World Championships in 2019.
But Gatlin’s trajectory was also marked by the scandal, with two suspensions for doping.
The first of these, in 2001, was caused by the use of Adderall, a drug that contains amphetamine. Gatlin had used the drug since childhood to treat attention deficit disorder. The US arbitration panel that heard her case ruled that Gatlin “didn’t dope.”
A second positive test in 2006 found excessive levels of testosterone in his system. Gatlin blamed the results on sabotage by a therapist with whom she had a financial dispute. The sprinter was banned for eight years for that infraction, which was later reduced to four on appeal.
See them
comments
