'I had to be a monster' - American icon Justin Gatlin reflects on the ruthlessness of track & field

Former Olympics and world champion Justin Gatlin.

'I had to be a monster' - American icon Justin Gatlin reflects on the ruthlessness of track & field

Stephen Awino 14:51 - 14.01.2025

American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has delved into the unforgiving nature of track and field that forced him to tap into certain traits to excell.

American sprinting legend Justin Gatlin has offered a raw and poignant glimpse into the unrelenting nature of professional track and field.

In a candid reflection on the Run Your Race show on YouTube, the former 100m world champion painted a vivid picture of the challenges athletes face in a sport where financial security is far from guaranteed.

"Our sport is different, right?" Gatlin began, drawing a stark comparison between track and field and other professional sports like football or basketball.

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"In football or basketball, you can have guys sitting on the bench making a million dollars, while I'm lining up against someone who's just hoping to place in this race so their lights won't get turned off. But we both get called professionals."

For the three-time Olympics gold medalist, this disparity highlights the unique pressures of track and field, a discipline that demands not just physical excellence but an extraordinary mental fortitude.

"It’s professional, but it’s still run like it’s amateur. That’s why it has to be so competitive," he explained. "You’ve got to be a dog, you’ve got to turn yourself into a dog if you’re not already one."

Gatlin’s words offer insight into the mindset required to succeed in an arena where the margins between glory and obscurity are razor-thin.

"You’ve got to go in with the mentality that these dudes are trying to take money out of my pocket, food off my table, or make sure my kids go hungry. And a lot of the time, I had to trick myself into thinking that way. You’ve got to."

For elite sprinters like Gatlin, the stakes are incredibly high and the window to perform is agonizingly brief.

"For those few seconds, I’ve got to be a monster, a dog. I don’t get four quarters, I don’t get two halves—I get seconds to show my work and show these dudes I’m racing against that I’m the best."

Gatlin’s reflection underscores not just the physical demands of his sport but the psychological warfare that athletes must engage in to stay at the top.

His words resonate as a powerful testament to the sacrifices and grit required to excel in track and field, a sport where success is fleeting and every second counts.