What’s a good retirement in track & field? Perhaps the one where when you go, you go out respectfully. You have not declined much past your prime. You have a career you can look back on, perhaps a couple of world records that are still unbeaten. And the love of fans. Justin Gatlin and his friend have one tip for athletes to have the love of fans when they retire from the sport. What’s that?

Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green sat down with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the latest episode of Ready Set Go, and during that discussion, they talked of retirement. Rodney talked to Sydney and dropped some advice that every track and field athlete from around the world would follow. “When it is your year to possibly be done. The fans would possibly like you to announce it because I’ve met plenty of fans, and this last year, I tried to tell them whether you win or lose, do one more year.” He said.

Giving an example of how it works, he claimed,” Because some fans were like when I was coaching them and you talked to some of them, they’re like, ‘Oh, we heard Justin’s going to be here.’ They spent that last bit of money to go to that meet to see him. Cuz they know they’ll never see him again. He lives in the United States. And I’m talking, this is overseas.” Justin Gatlin’s final professional 100 m race took place at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on September 18, 2021, where he clocked 10.03s and finished third. Interestingly, Gatlin has since teased a return on another episode of the Ready Set Go podcast.

The American coach cited Shelly-Ann Pryce’s example, who had announced earlier this year that this would be her last race of the season. He described this feeling for the fans as, “It’s like seeing your favorite performer, like a Beyoncé. You spend all your money to go see that person because that’s what you enjoy, to take your family to see it, so they could get a chance.” He then advised Sydney to let her fans know when she decides on retirement.

“So win or lose, they know who you are. You’ve already had an amazing career, and they just want to see you. They just want to be there with you, no matter how you placed. They’re your fans already,” he said. Grand slam track showed her how much her fans love her when a girl skipped prom just to watch her, and Sydney also took time to hug her afterwards. This was after she finished fifth in that Grand Slam meet.

Michael Johnson and Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Pryce had done this

On January 16, 2001, at a London press conference at the Hilton Hotel, Michael Johnson publicly declared, ” This is my final season, I am retiring, I will be going on a farewell tour—and I am not going to the World Championships.” The hint had arrived at the Olympic Games in Sydney in September when Johnson became the first athlete to retain the 400 meters title. “Michael, what ‘first’ do you hope to achieve this year?” came the question. “Nothing,” he replied.

And as he raced, fans did not leave him out of their love. At the Penn Relays (April 28–29, 2001) in Philadelphia, Johnson anchored the USA’s 4×400 m relay before a carnival-record crowd of nearly 49,000. After crossing first in a world-leading 2:58.60, Johnson made one last — and much slower — lap around the track, waving, shaking hands, and thanking his supporters for watching one of the final races in a very celebrated career as fans chanted “U-S-A,”. Later, at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane (September 7, 2001), nearly 30,000 spectators gave him a standing ovation as he anchored the winning relay—an emotional send‑off from a crowd there to celebrate the man, not just the medals. Shelly-Ann Fraser‑Pryce also experiences something similar.

She had announced earlier that this would be her last season. Then, at a Nike-hosted reception in Kingston on June 23, 2025, Fraser‑Pryce announced the upcoming Jamaican National Championships would be her final appearance at the National Stadium – the last dance on the Jamaican Soil. During the National Championships final on June 27, 2025, the National Stadium was packed. Usain Bolt, family, and a roaring crowd marked their presence as she clocked 10.91 s in her last race in Jamaica.