In a world where professional athletes have set off to make the grade in Paris, there are some high school boys on the lookout. And none knows it better than Olympian Justin Gatlin. The 42-year-old sprinter walked home with the 100m title from the 2004 Olympics and since, his journey to the top began. He has 5 Olympic medals and 12 World Champion titles under his belt. The former 60m, 100m, and 200m specialist now turned critic to the top-tier athletes.
Often, with co-host cum track coach Rodney Green, the 42-year-old engages in extensive athletic discussions. Recently, the duo made headlines for diving into Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman’s arch-rivalry. But Gatlin left Green’s hand when he accoladed some high school boys for making history.
Justin Gatlin gets reminded of his high school days
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In 1998, the Texas Fort Worth Wyatt boys set a US high school national record when they clocked in at 39.76s in the 4x100m relay dash. The record survived for 26 years until recently when two teams finished under the benchmark time. At the 41st Victor Lopez Classic, the Texas Humble Atascocita boys fragmented the previously set record into pieces as they ran in a record 38.92s. Shortly after, another quartet of Duncanville stepped up to give a sub-40 performance at par. They finished in 39.65, thus securing the second place.
These high school times are crazy 👀
— Justin Gatlin (@justingatlin) March 25, 2024
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This madness on the Victor Lopez track didn’t go past Gatlin’s eyes. While reminiscing his heydays, he said in his X handle, “These high school times are crazy”, with a pair of googly eyes emoji. The track aficionado with 9 gold medals across all events in his purse, attempted to make it to the 2020 Tokyo finals. But an unforeseen hamstring injury ended his chances. Let’s take a look at his high school days.
Gatlin in his HS days
The Woodham High School attendee was an active hurdler in his early years. Competing in hurdles goes hand in hand with sprinting so his racing aptitude was quickly recognized by Vince Anderson and Bill Webb, the University of Tennessee coaches. They further trained him to become a sprinter under a special scholarship program.
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He made waves in his freshman year, thus securing the 100m and 200m NCAA outdoor titles. An amphetamine ban tried to hamper his NCAA career, but his grit added 4 more NCAA titles to his resume. But his college career didn’t last long as he moved to be a professional track star right after finishing his sophomore days.
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