Justin Gatlin may have retired from professional sprinting, but the competitive instincts that defined his career clearly have not gone anywhere. Four years after stepping away from the sport, the Olympic champion is still willing to lace up when the right challenge comes along. This time, however, he will have more than bragging rights at stake.
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Gatlin will face fellow Olympic champion English Gardner in a 60-meter showdown at FloTrack’s Athlete’s Lounge on September 5. The race grew out of a friendly challenge Gardner issued, which Gatlin later accepted on the Ready Set Go podcast. The race may not carry an Olympic medal or a world title, but there is something rather personal on the line.
If Gardner wins, she gets to keep one of Gatlin’s three consecutive Diamond League 100m season trophies for two weeks, as reported by FloTrack on X.
The challenge had been building for months. Gardner first called Gatlin out on Athlete’s Lounge, and Gatlin later accepted the challenge on Ready Set Go. And while the race itself is being treated in good fun, there is plenty of pedigree behind it. Gatlin is a five-time Olympic medalist, having won the 100m title at Athens 2004 before adding four more medals across the 2008 and 2016 Games. He is also a two-time World Championship gold medalist in the 100m and 200m and has won two World Indoor 60m titles.
Gatlin’s speed, however, is what makes the challenge particularly intriguing. His 9.74-second 100m personal best ranks among the fastest times ever recorded, while his 6.45-second indoor 60m best shows that Gardner will be taking on a man who has plenty of experience over this distance.
Gardner brings her own impressive credentials to the matchup. She owns a 10.74-second 100m personal best and has an Olympic gold medal from Rio 2016, where she helped the U.S. win the 4x100m relay, followed by silver in the same event at Tokyo 2020. After months of joking about a race with Gatlin, she will finally get her chance to see how the two-time World Indoor 60m champion stacks up against her.
The race is also a small glimpse into Gatlin’s life after professional sprinting, where his connection to the sport has taken on a different shape. He remains involved through broadcasting and his Ready Set Go podcast, but coaching is one avenue he has considered without fully committing to it. And that hesitation offers a more interesting look at what Gatlin sees for himself once the competitive side of his career is truly behind him.
Could coaching be the next chapter for Justin Gatlin?
Gatlin has considered coaching as a possible next step, but he has stopped short of committing to it. Speaking on his Ready Set Go podcast, he admitted that he is still trying to work out what role he wants to play in the sport now that his competitive career is over.
“I feel like right now I’m still finding myself,” Gatlin said.
He does not want to enter coaching half-heartedly. For Gatlin, working with an athlete would require a level of commitment that he is not yet sure he can give.
“If I’m finding myself, I can’t give my all to those athletes,” he added.
He has made a similar point before, admitting that becoming a full-time coach could mean another 20 years devoted to the sport. After already spending roughly two decades living that life, the idea of immediately signing up for another long chapter did not exactly appeal to him. However, he did not completely close that door.
Back in 2022, when asked whether he could eventually become a coach, he refused to say no. He explained that great coaching requires giving a genuine part of yourself to an athlete by sharing their highs, feeling their lows, and committing your time every day. At the time, he admitted he was not emotionally or mentally ready for that responsibility.
“Maybe I’ll get there in a year or two,” he said.
For now, Gatlin appears perfectly comfortable being around the sport in a different capacity, talking about it, analyzing it and, apparently, racing whoever is willing to challenge him.
And on September 5, English Gardner will find out whether the retired Olympic champion still has enough speed to protect a piece of his prized collection. Because for Gatlin, retirement may have ended the professional chapter. It clearly did not end the competitive spirit.