Gatlin secures London return ahead of Gay

EUGENE – Justin Gatlin is back. So is Tyson Gay. Eight years after winning Olympic gold and two years after concluding a doping ban, Gatlin secured his return to the Games by running an eye-catching 9.80 seconds to win the 100 metres at the U.S. Olympic trials on Sunday.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Justin Gatlin holds off Tyson Gay to capture 100-meter crown at US Olympic trials. Net photo.

EUGENE – Justin Gatlin is back. So is Tyson Gay. Eight years after winning Olympic gold and two years after concluding a doping ban, Gatlin secured his return to the Games by running an eye-catching 9.80 seconds to win the 100 metres at the U.S. Olympic trials on Sunday.It was the second fastest time of the year after Usain Bolt’s 9.76 seconds and a personal best for the 30-year-old Gatlin, whose previous quickest time was the 9.85 he ran to win gold in Athens.Gay, coming back from hip surgery after nearly a year off the track, also looked ready to take on the world’s best in London as he clocked 9.86 for second."Everything seems so surreal,” a smiling Gatlin, dressed in a red Team USA uniform, told reporters. "I just went out there and gave it my all.”His start was not the greatest but by 35 metres Gatlin looked like the runner of old as he turned on his speed with Gay close behind.It left Gatlin confident he could regain the sprint title in London ahead of the likes of Jamaica’s world record holder Bolt and world champion Yohan Blake. "I think I can go faster ... enough to win the gold,” Gatlin said.