Justin Gatlin gave up on his NFL dream and turned back to sports after Usain Bolt set a new world record in the 100 meters.
After Bolt solidified his place in the record books, US track legend Gatlin decided to retire after trying out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans.
The American was an Olympic and world champion but a four-year doping ban in 2006 shifted him towards another sport.
But in May 2008, Bolt beat Asafa Powell’s 100m world record as he ran 9.72 seconds in New York.
It was an event that changed Gatlin’s life forever as he decided to return to athletics despite having half of his four year doping ban left.
Speaking about his change of heart, Gatlin told Bolt on his own podcast ‘Ready Set Go’: “I was training for [American] football. I was training to be a wide receiver. I was actually on the field working on routes and everything when I heard that he [Bolt] broke the world record.
I kept watching it because I believe that’s where we have things in common. It’s about competition, that’s the truth. Since you are competing against the best, it is important to prepare and give it your all.
I was genuinely thrilled to see him smash the world record. “This guy really did that thing, he ran 9.72, that’s crazy,” I thought.
“It actually motivated me. I had the best practice that day but I think it ignited a fire in me to be like ‘do I want to stay in a sport where they look at track and field athletes as one-dimensional. Like you can run fast but could you really catch, could you run routes, do you know plays’.
It was his first of two as he later went on to claim the 200m gold, beating Michael Johnson’s previous world record with a time of 19.30s.
In 2009, Bolt bettered his world record for a second time running 9.58s.
Four years later, Gatlin and Bolt participated in the most iconic race in history.
At the London 2012 Olympic games, the two lined up against Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Tyson Gay – who all rank among the fastest men in history.
Bolt took gold followed by fellow countryman Blake and then Gatlin with a personal best of 9.79.
In 2015, Galtin bettered that time and cemented his place as the fifth-fastest man in history, running a 9.74 in Qatar.
