Justin Gatlin eyes 2020 Tokyo gold in 100 meters at the age of 39
Justin Gatlin is officially a geezer (according to my rule for tracksters over 35). But he’s no retiree. In fact, the Bolt-beating world sprint champ told Team USA that he’s looking to race in Tokyo — at the 2020 Olympics. “I started my career with an Olympic gold medal (in 2004), I’d love to finish my career with a gold medal in 2020,” Justin said. Carl Lewis said he endorses Justin for the title of “world’s fastest man,” saying: “The one who won it last is the fastest, and that’s Justin. You can’t go back to two times ago.” Justin said: “My coach (Dennis Mitchell) wants me to specialize in the 100 meters for the next three years. I want faster times; I want to break the American record (of 9.69 seconds, now held by Tyson Gay). My focus is on running fast, not running a lot of races but maybe running smaller races.” Hey, we know some smaller races with USATF sanction!
Justin reacts to winning IAAF London world gold in 9.92, beating the Boltman.
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I agree with Carl Lewis in that Justin is the fastest man because he just won the World championship in 17. Of course, Bolt is the greatest sprinter ever just as Lewis is the greatest long jumper of all time. Justin has to be up there among the top sprinters of all time but we should not forget how good a sprinter Carl Lewis was [maybe # 2].
Don’t forget “Bullet Bob” Hayes who broke the world record at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics running 10.06 in lane one on a badly “chewed up” cinder track running in borrowed spikes.
Hayes, yes. But fastest man ever will be Owens. What would he have been abel to with todays tracks, spikes, training and food?
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_are_athletes_really_getting_faster_better_stronger?language=en
“Consider that Usain Bolt started by propelling himself out of blocks down a specially fabricated carpet designed to allow him to travel as fast as humanly possible. Jesse Owens, on the other hand, ran on cinders, the ash from burnt wood, and that soft surface stole far more energy from his legs as he ran.
“Rather than blocks, Jesse Owens had a gardening trowel that he had to use to dig holes in the cinders to start from. Biomechanical analysis of the speed of Owens’ joints shows that had been running on the same surface as Bolt, he wouldn’t have been 14 feet behind, he would have been within one stride.”
too far Weia, too far. Owens, rightfully one of the greatest Olympians of all time wasn’t all that significantly faster than his peers in the mid thirties and lost multiple races in that time period. Not, obviously, in Berlin August of 36 where he was straight money.
Also, when calculating “todays track, spikes, training and food” you might also consider today’s automatic timing, distractions, and temptations.
On top of that, you’ll never know if there wasn’t someone faster who never had the opportunity to compete.
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