Gatlin Surprises Himself With World Record in 100

It took 9.76 seconds Friday for Justin Gatlin to join a select group of sprinters who have not only won Olympic and world championships but have also been the holder of the world record for 100 meters.

Gatlin, a 24-year-old native of Brooklyn, N.Y., established the record in Qatar, at the Doha Super Grand Prix meet, only his second competition of the season. He had predicted he would set the record this year but said he was in “disbelief” that “it came so soon.”

The record dash not only boosted Gatlin into elite status, it also gave United States track and field a much-needed lift.

Craig Masback, president of USA Track and Field, called Gatlin’s record “symbolic” of a new era.

“We have this great group of young athletes that includes Allyson Felix, Jeremy Wariner, Sanya Richards and Lauryn Williams, and Justin is a part of that crew,” Masback said. “But he’s the first one to go out and get a world record.

“And it’s a pretty big world record. If you look through history, only a small number of people have won world and Olympic championships and been the holder of the world. It’s a pretty exclusive company that includes Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene.”

Gatlin’s effort edged the mark of 9.77 set by Jamaica’s Asafa Powell 11 months ago at Athens.

The potential for showdowns between those two this summer could give the sport’s glamour event regular shots of adrenaline.

Reached by the Associated Press in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Powell, who recently ran a 9.95 at Kingston, Jamaica, predicted he would get the record back this year.

“Asafa is not the kind of guy who is going to be depressed any time soon,” said Paul Doyle, Powell’s agent. “The thing is, Asafa knows that he can run faster and plans on doing so. ... He just thinks that the new record makes it that much more exciting.

“He’s really happy for Justin and respects him. But at the same time, he considers the record only on loan.”

Gatlin and Powell have not raced against each other since a meet in London last July when Powell did not finish because of a groin injury. They are next scheduled to match up at Gateshead, England, on June 11, although that meet might not be able to afford a showdown between the two now that Gatlin is a world-record holder.

Asked about racing Powell, Gatlin downplayed a rivalry.

“It really hasn’t crossed my mind,” he said. “I’m just focusing in on my race. Any competitor that steps to the line, he’s a worthy opponent.”

Gatlin said he was primarily concerned about preparing for his next meets -- the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on May 28 and Reebok Grand Prix in New York on June 3 -- while he enjoys his title.

“A lot of people were saying prematurely that I was ‘the fastest man on Earth,’ and I felt a little uneasy about it at first,” Gatlin said. “I had won the Olympics and had won the worlds ... now I can say that I’m the fastest man in the world and it feels great.”

For a time, Gatlin looked as if he might not win Friday’s race.

He was in the middle of the pack out of the starting blocks and trailed Nigeria’s Olusoji Fasuba at the halfway point. But in the final 40 meters, Gatlin found an extra gear and pulled away to win by two strides.

Fasuba finished second with a personal-best time of 9.84, and Gatlin’s Raleigh, N.C., training partner, Shawn Crawford, was third at 10.08.

Gatlin’s 9.85 time in a semifinal had equaled his previous personal best, which he ran in winning Olympic gold in 2004.

Gatlin has ties to another former world-record holder in the 100, Tim Montgomery, in that he is coached by Trevor Graham, who has acknowledged anonymously sending a syringe of THG to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which became evidence in the BALCO doping case.

At least six of Graham’s athletes, including Montgomery, have tested positive for banned substances. But Gatlin told reporters that his coach had “gotten a bad rap in the past.”

“It’s a new era,” he added. “I’m not them.”

Gatlin’s record-setting run was worth a $100,000 bonus from the International Assn. of Athletics Federations, $30,000 from the Qatar federation and a standing ovation from a crowd of about 10,000.

Afterward, he ran to the edge of the stands to celebrate with fans and teammates, then knelt on the track with a bouquet of flowers presented by a Qatari hostess and posed for photographs next to the electronic scoreboard showing 9.76, the AP reported.

“I felt like we did it,” he said, “and that our team did it.”

As for the future, he said, “I’m just hoping to do a little better next time. I felt in my heart that I could [break the record], and I proved it.

“I’m trying to keep the mentality of running fast at every meet, especially with no world championships or Olympics this year. I want to put an Olympic final and a world championship final together and run that perfect race.”