Justin Gatlin broke the 100M World Record

#5
#5
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfiel...tory?id=2442681


Olympic champion Justin Gatlin broke the 100-meter world record Friday with a time of 9.76 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Gatlin Biography
Born: Feb. 10, 1982, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Starts off as hurdler at high school and goes on to win six NCAA sprint titles.

2003: Wins U.S. and world indoor 60 meters titles.

2004: Wins Athens Olympics 100 meters gold medal in 9.85 seconds, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Portugal's Francis Obikwelu; finishes third in the 200.

2005: Wins world 100 title in Helsinki, Finland, in 9.88 seconds by the biggest margin (0.17) in the history of the championships; leads U.S. clean sweep in the 200, winning in 20.04 to become only the second man after compatriot Maurice Greene to complete the double.

2006: Runs 9.76-second 100 meters in Doha, Qatar, to shave 0.01 off Jamaican Asafa Powell's world record.


The American sprinter lowered the mark of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell on June 14, 2005, in Athens, Greece.

"I am the best of the best because I am the Olympic champion, the world champion and the world record holder now," Gatlin told reporters.

"I thought I would do it and I kept my word. I am a man who likes challenges and my acceleration today was phenomenal."



Gatlin won the 100- and 200-meter titles at the world championships in Helsinki, Finland, last August. He said Monday he intended to break the record in Doha.

Olusoji Fasuban of Nigeria finished second Friday in 9.84 seconds, with Shawn Crawford of the United States third in 10.08.

Gatlin and Powell ran 9.95s in separate races last weekend and will face each other at the Gateshead meet in England on June 11.


Gatlin said the world record could go again later in 2006.

"The timings could be further improved this year, probably in Europe," said Gatlin, who dedicated his record to God and his parents.

When Powell set the record last year, he bettered the mark of 9.79 set by Maurice Greene in Athens in June 1999. Tim Montgomery's mark of 9.78, set in Paris in 2002, was wiped off the books after he was banned for two years in the BALCO doping scandal.

Previous recent 100-meter record-hrolders included Donovan Bailey (9.84), Leroy Burrell (9.85) and Carl Lewis (9.86).

 
#6
#6
(brg72 @ May 12 said:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfiel...tory?id=2442681

"I am the best of the best because I am the Olympic champion, the world champion and the world record holder now," Gatlin told reporters.

"I thought I would do it and I kept my word. I am a man who likes challenges and my acceleration today was phenomenal."
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If only UT could teach these guys some humility! :shakehead: :banghead: It's SO MUCH nicer when guys let the press talk about how great they are rather than coming across as full of themselves.
 
#8
#8
(Vol423 @ May 12 said:
If only UT could teach these guys some humility! :shakehead: :banghead: It's SO MUCH nicer when guys let the press talk about how great they are rather than coming across as full of themselves.
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Everything he said is true. I would much rather hear a guy speak his mind then blather on with false modesty to avoid offending the haters out there.
 
#10
#10
(Vol423 @ May 12 said:
If only UT could teach these guys some humility! :shakehead: :banghead: It's SO MUCH nicer when guys let the press talk about how great they are rather than coming across as full of themselves.
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sounds like a guy that's just proud of what he's accomplished to me.....
 
#11
#11
(oklavol @ May 12 said:
most of these guys are as arrogant in person as they are to reporters.
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Good. Maybe that will eventually get fans over their sense of entitlement. Athletes don't owe them anything off the field. People who bother athletes for autographs should be chained, cut, and tossed into a shark tank.
 
#12
#12
(jakez4ut @ May 12 said:
sounds like a guy that's just proud of what he's accomplished to me.....
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Agree.I mean he's been running second fiddle for so many years and to finally reach the pinnacle of his game.He should boast some.All that practicing.
 
#13
#13
(hatvol96 @ May 12 said:
Good. Maybe that will eventually get fans over their sense of entitlement. Athletes don't owe them anything off the field. People who bother athletes for autographs should be chained, cut, and tossed into a shark tank.
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I don't ask athletes for autographs, but you think that FANS are the ones that feel a sense of entitlement??? Try the athletes!

Hat, I actually have a very hard time reading you. We seem to view a lot of things similarly, but we're both usually very heavily opinionated in polar opposite directions on the things that we disagree about.
 
#15
#15
(Rocky Top NCDB @ May 12 said:
w-h-e-e-l-s

why was he never in a football uniform? or was he?
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i think he WAS in a FB uniform ,when i don't exactly know.
 
#17
#17
I didn't have a problem with him saying "This was a perfect race," "I am a competitor and I promised I would get the world record and I have done it" or "It is amazing I did it," "It took a lot of discipline and dedication. You will see many more performances like this from me in the future."

But I don't know what to think about this quote. "I don't go for world records. They come to me."
 
#18
#18
(Jasongivm6 @ May 13 said:
I didn't have a problem with him saying "This was a perfect race," "I am a competitor and I promised I would get the world record and I have done it" or "It is amazing I did it," "It took a lot of discipline and dedication. You will see many more performances like this from me in the future."

But I don't know what to think about this quote. "I don't go for world records. They come to me."
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I would take it that he doesn't think about them beforehand. He runs his race, and world records are the result.
 
#19
#19
(hatvol96 @ May 13 said:
I would take it that he doesn't think about them beforehand. He runs his race, and world records are the result.
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Hat, I'm pretty sure he thought about breaking the world record as he stated that it was his goal.
 
#21
#21
(Jasongivm6 @ May 13 said:
Hat, I'm pretty sure he thought about breaking the world record as he stated that it was his goal.
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If that's the case, I would interpret his comment to mean that he runs his best race and those result in world records. His goal is to run his best race, that happens to be world record quality.
 
#22
#22
(hatvol96 @ May 13 said:
If that's the case, I would interpret his comment to mean that he runs his best race and those result in world records. His goal is to run his best race, that happens to be world record quality.
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I agree that his goal is to run his best race. And I could care less if some people think he's cocky. I would be if I was the fastest man in the world, ever. He trained very hard for what he's accomplished. And when he says things like, "She gave me the biggest hug," "It felt like we did it and the team did it" and "I need to stay focused and not get a big head," it doesn't come across to me as cocky at all. I just didn't understand that one quote.






Gatlin himself, who turned his back on art school to focus on a career in athletics, was not surprised to break the record.

"I went after the record and I think it was just the want to do it that made it happen," he said.

"For the last two years, I really had to pace myself throughout the season but this year I just went after the record.

"I had a horrible start and I know I can do better. The timing could be further improved this year, probably in Europe."


The interesting thing to me is, he can still probably do better.
 
#23
#23
Anyone who has a problem with Gatlin's comments should challenge him in a race.
 
#24
#24
I like the progress Leonard Scott is making. He had a chance to get one up on JG in this race, but gave it up at the end. Michael Johnson said that once Scott cleans up his form and fundamentals he'll definitely be a star.
 
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