Former Olympic Champion Justin Gatlin wins 100 meter race at Estonia
Disgraced American sprinter Justin Gatlin is all set to make a comeback in international athletics competitions and for Justin Gatlin, it is a God sent opportunity.
The sprinter revealed to the media on the eve of his comeback that he was a bundle of nerves as time was running out before his comeback at an international meet after four long years.
Gatlin claimed that he wants to break the 10 seconds barrier in two 100 metre races that are set to take place in Estonia this week.
The comeback is set to end a frustrating wait for the athlete who was once touted as the best talents in modern sporting history.
The 2004 Olympics 100 meter champion is undergoing rigorous training as he sets his eyes on a meeting in the city of Rakvere.
The first event will be held on Tuesday followed by the next race that will take place five days later in Tallinn.
Gatlin held a press conference announcing his plans for the twin events and how he plans to compete at his best again
"I have been training to run fast," announced Gatlin, the sprinter has been involved in a top class competition since June 2006.
He went into oblivion after he was banned after undergoing a test for the male s*x hormone testosterone and its precursors, and the results came out positive.
The American is undergoing training by Loren Seagrove, who is a renowned athletic coach, and Gatlin claims that the sessions have had a positive effect on him. He said, "With techniques that I have learned with my new coach that our goal is to be very technical and the techniques that he showed can hopefully, easily get less than ten seconds."
The 28-year-old claimed that he was under intense pressure and hoped that his nerves would work positively at the start of the race and give him the spurt that is needed for him to do well in his comeback event.
The ban ended on him last month and Gatlin claims that he is very excited at the prospects of returning to international competition in order to shrug off the bitter memories of the ban.
He wants to do his best at the event and ensure that he makes a grand return to international competition with full force.
"Any athlete going into the competition is nervous to a certain point. But, you know, you turn that nervousness into adrenaline, and you want to go out and do the best you can do and to compete. Turn those butterflies into eagles and soar," he said.
Meanwhile Gatlin might struggle to race in top level competitions in Europe, even after the expiry of the ban as Euro Meetings recommendations are not in favour of athletes that have served bans for doping offences. They claim that such athletes take the gloss of an event with the audience not keen on seeing them in action.
Luckily for Gatlin, the organisers of the Estonian meetings are not members of the Euro Group and have welcomed the American sprinter with open arms. Everyone is looking forwards to him setting a new national record for the Baltic country which is under 10.10 seconds.
The American athlete has registered a personal best of is 9.85 seconds and in the meet at Estonia, none of the sprinters have a personal best of under 10 seconds.
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