Gatlin: Crawford the greatest
By By Elizabeth Williams (Express).American sprinter Justin Gatlin was in Tobago recently, visiting not for the first time. He sat down with the Express sports team at the Magdalena Resort, and shared his thoughts about his future in athletics.
Gatlin said he has no plans to retire at the moment. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he won silver in the men’s 100 metres dash.
“I am going to push forward for the next three to four years. You come to a point in your career when you are not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for others, you’re doing it for the fans, friends, family and my son. Hopefully I make it to Tokyo 2020.”
Gatlin, who took time off from his vacation to speak to the Express, said 1976 Olympic 100m champion Hasely Crawford is Trinidad and Tobago’s greatest athlete of all time. He also made it clear that beating the fastest man in the world, Jamaican Usain Bolt, was not his greatest goal.
As he looked towards the future, Gatlin did not rule out coaching. “I always give tips to people online and young athletes who ask me questions. If the opportunity arises I would definitely take the opportunity serious.
“In improving Trinidad and Tobago athletes, the older ones must train up-and-coming stars. You’re in the right direction now. You have young Khalifa (St Fort) who is doing well.
“She is the next star coming up, and you have a lot of athletes who are coming together.
“Semoy Hackett, she is doing her thing. She was out for a while, but now she is back and running well. Young athletes are stepping up to the plate.”
Gatlin also spoke about the shooting death of fellow-sprinter Tyson Gay’s daughter, Trinity Gay. “What a tragedy! It touched a large community, even outside of track and field. To take away such an innocence doing nothing, not being involved in any type of drugs, violence, gangs…for a young girl like her to lose her life, it’s time to make a stand, not just in the US, but everyone else. A lot of people are losing their lives for no reason at all.”
Gatlin called on the youths to believe in their dreams and themselves.
OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS AT SURPRISE DINNER: American sprinter Justin Gatlin, left, and retired Trinidad and Tobago track star Hasely Crawford, at the Lighthouse Restaurant, Crews Inn, Chaguaramas, on Sunday. Crawford is the 1976 Olympic men’s 100 metres champion, while Gatlin won the corresponding event at the 2004 Athen Games.
