Justin Gatlin
Sport: Track and Field
Nation: United States of America
DOB: February 10, 1982
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Career Highlights: After serving a four-year ban for a positive doping test, the 2004 gold medalist in the 100 meters is back at the Olympics
in search of redemption. It's been a long, strange trip for Gatlin, who reached the pinnacle of the sprinting world only to
fall from grace due to a 2006 test that showed excessive testosterone. He tried out for multiple NFL teams during his time
away from the track, but returned in 2010 and quickly returned to form. This year, he won gold in the 60 meters at the world
indoor championships before taking first place at the U.S. trials with a personal-best time of 9.80 seconds. "Usually, I have
a lot of words. I'm almost speechless," the 30-year-old Gatlin said. "Everything just feels so surreal. I just let the heart
really go out and do what it had to do." When asked how much faster he can go in London, Gatlin said, "enough to win another
gold," but he'll face a daunting challenge from Usain Bolt and his Jamaican teammates. Bolt hadn't yet emerged when Gatlin
won gold in Athens, where the American added a bronze medal in the 200 meters and a silver in the 4x100 relay. Gatlin won
double gold at the 2005 world championships in the 100 and the 200, receiving the Jesse Owens Award as the top American track
and field performer for the second straight year, but he's avoiding the longer sprint in London to focus on the premier running
event of the Games.
Olympic History: 2004