Retirement didn’t take the race out of Justin Gatlin. At 44, the Olympic legend was back on the track Saturday, facing English Gardner over 60m in a showdown that came with an unusual prize: one of Gatlin’s Diamond League trophies.
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The result? Gatlin still had the speed to back up the talk.
The former Olympic 100m champion came out on top against Gardner at FloTrack HQ, settling a playful rivalry that had been brewing for months. The race wasn’t for an Olympic medal or a championship title, but there was plenty of motivation on both sides.
Gardner had challenged Gatlin to the matchup earlier this year on Athlete’s Lounge. Gatlin eventually accepted the invitation on the Ready Set Go podcast, and the two Olympic champions spent months trading confidence before finally getting the chance to settle things over 60 meters.
There was even a trophy involved.
Gatlin agreed that if Gardner won, she could keep one of his three consecutive Diamond League 100m season trophies for two weeks. With that piece of memorabilia hanging over the showdown, the friendly race suddenly had a little more bite.
And Gatlin wasn’t exactly an easy opponent to beat!
English Gardner vs. Justin Gatlin: A glimpse at their incredible careers
Gardner arrived with an impressive résumé of her own. The American was part of the U.S. team that won 4x100m gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics and later helped the country claim silver at Tokyo 2020. She also owns a 10.74-second personal best in the 100m and has run 7.10 for 60m indoors.
Gatlin, meanwhile, has spent much of his life racing on the biggest stages imaginable.
He won Olympic 100m gold at Athens 2004 and collected four additional Olympic medals during his career. He also became a two-time world champion in the 100m and won two World Indoor Championships over 60m.
That last part mattered here.
Gatlin’s 6.45-second personal best over 60m remains a reminder of just how explosive he was out of the blocks during his prime. His 9.74-second 100m personal best also places him among the fastest sprinters in history.
Gardner knew exactly what she was signing up for.
Still, the matchup wasn’t really about records. It was about settling months of playful trash talk… and, perhaps more importantly, finding out whether Gatlin still had enough left to beat an elite female sprinter over the shortest distance.
For Gatlin, the victory adds another chapter to a career that has already produced Olympic gold, world titles and Diamond League trophies.
This time, however, there was no championship medal waiting at the finish line. Just bragging rights, and the satisfaction of keeping his trophy collection intact.
The race also offered a glimpse of Gatlin’s life after professional sprinting.
Although he retired from competition in 2022, he has remained closely connected to athletics through broadcasting and his Ready Set Go podcast. Coaching has also been something he has considered, even as he figures out what the next phase of his relationship with the sport looks like.
For one afternoon, though, none of that mattered.
At 44, Gatlin had a simpler job: beat Gardner, protect the trophy, and prove that the old competitive fire is still burning.
Mission accomplished!