Gatlin scowls back as crowd vents
Justin Gatlin felt the full force of the crowd’s ire on Sunday and scowled back in response before finishing second to Usain Bolt in the 100m final and miss out on becoming the oldest man to win the event.
The 34-year-old US sprinter, who has served two career doping suspensions, played the sullen yin to Jamaican superstar Bolt’s exuberant yang, glowering both times he was introduced to boos as he entered the stadium.
“At the end of the day you hear everything, but you have to tune that kind of stuff out,” Gatlin said.
“Back in the warmup area, we all have respect for each other. So I would just like to see everyone have the respect in the audience as well.”
In contrast, the 29-year-old Bolt smiled and waved to a crowd that eagerly complied with his gestures requesting cheers or, just before the starter’s gun, silence.
The Jamaican said he was surprised to hear Gatlin booed.
“It is the first time I have come into a stadium and they booed someone,” Bolt said. “It was shocking. But I guess some people are more vocal than others.”
After winning his semifinal, when he was also booed, Gatlin let his momentum carry him straight through the tunnel leading to the athletes’ private area under the stands.
After taking silver in the final by finishing in 9.89 sec to Bolt’s 9.81, he strode around the track with a US flag draped over his shoulders, smiling to the few friendly faces he found in the crowd.
Gatlin, a resident of Orlando, Florida, served a one-year doping suspension after testing positive in 2001 for amphetamines contained in a medication he had taken for attention deficit disorder.
He later served a four-year suspension after testing positive for artificially high levels of testosterone in 2006.
Gatlin claimed the second failure was brought about by a masseur rubbing testosterone cream into his legs without his knowledge.
“That whole issue was more than a decade ago,” Gatlin said. “I’ve been back in track and field for over six years.”
Athletes have been unusually vocal about doping during the Rio Games. US swimmer Lily King, who won gold in the 100m breast stroke and the 4x100m medley, said she thought Gatlin should not have been included on the US team.
“Do I think people who have been caught for doping offenses should be on the team? No, they shouldn’t,” King said last week.
Asked about the comments on Saturday, Gatlin said: “I don’t even know who Lilly King is.”