Gatlin Follows Lewis With Sprint Double

By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

For as much excitement and anticipation as there was surrounding recent high school graduates Noah Lyles and Michael Norman competing in the men's 200-meter final Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Trials, the experience of three American veterans was too much for the 18-year-old stars to overcome.

Justin Gatlin, 34, despite running blind to the field for most of the race in lane 8, held off a late charge by 30-year-old LaShawn Merritt to prevail in a wind-legal 19.75 seconds, the fastest time in a trials final since Michael Johnson defended his title in 19.66 in 1996.

Gatlin became the first male athlete to double in the 100 and 200 at the Olympic Trials since Carl Lewis in 1984, capturing the title on the straightaway July 3 in a wind-legal 9.80.

"I got up this morning thinking, 'I've already got my ticket punched for Rio.' But then I realized, I can't start thinking that way. I need to go out there and battle," Gatlin said. "I came off the turn ahead and my eyes got big. With 30 or 40 meters left, I could see LaShawn's legs churning, and said, 'Oh no, not like Beijing again.' I kept my poise and I was able to get to the line first."

Merritt, who already won the 400 title July 3 in 43.97, placed second in 19.79, giving him an opportunity in Rio de Janeiro to repeat Johnson's historic Olympic 200-400 double in 1996.

"Both (Allyson Felix) and I are 30 years old, we're not getting any younger and we're both one of the top (competitors) in both events, so why not?" Merritt said. "I'm feeling good, my body after the race wasn't that tired and my legs feel fine, so it's just some fun. My coach and I will adjust training because I'll have only one day in between the 400 and 200 (at the Olympics) compared to three days here. I'll handle the 400 first because that's my main priority and then anything after that is fun. It's just a bonus."

Ameer Webb, a former California Community College and NCAA champion in the 200, secured the final berth on the American roster by placing third in 20.00, ahead of Lyles (T.C. Williams, Virginia) in a national high school record 20.09 and Norman (Vista Murrieta, Calif.) in the No. 3 all-time prep mark of 20.14.

"Those guys are great. I haven't ever seen times like that from high schoolers," Webb said. "Coming into this, I was like, 'Wow, I've got to get out on some high schoolers.' I'm not trying to lose to no high schoolers either."

Gatlin, who repeated as national champion and secured his third career 200 title, prevailed in the event for the first time at the Olympic Trials after placing second in 2004.

"I stayed to the task and I stayed to the plan that my coach put in order. He said do what you need to do to get to the finals, don't worry about what lane you're in, execute your race going all the way around the track," Gatlin said. "When I found out I had lane eight, I was like this is just going to be a glorified time trial. I didn't see anybody come off the curve and I just ran, basically for my life, as hard as I could down the straightaway and just tried to stay tall and execute my race to the fullest."

Merritt, who still has the fastest time in the world this year at 19.74, gained valuable experience in running three rounds in the 200, which he hopes will benefit his curve running and closing speed in the 400 as he looks toward a potential Olympic finals showdown with Grenada's Kirani James in Rio.

"It can help me. It teaches me how to handle the curve a little bit, with that much velocity," Merritt said. "It gives me some speed work. Going into this 200, my coach said, ‘Don’t give it a lot of thought. Run it as smooth as possible and use it as some speed work.' I'm excited I was able to handle it as well as I did. My body feels great. Definitely some good speed work for the quarter."

Lyles improved to 10th in the world this year after breaking the 1985 prep record of 20.13 by Roy Martin of Roosevelt, Texas. Norman, who lost to Lyles for the second year in a row at Hayward Field following a 20.18 to 20.24 setback at the 2015 U.S. Junior Nationals, elevated to No. 16 in the world this year.

"I think the biggest excitement was the high school guys for them to come in and run as well as they did, especially winning their semifinal heats was a big confidence booster for them going into the final," Merritt said. "I'm really impressed. They work hard to get here, they got here and fought hard, and they'll go back and start training for next year. That's what it's all about, you take it a race at a time, a year at a time, and handle your business every time the gun goes off."

As Gatlin, Merritt and Webb look toward Rio, Lyles and Norman will regroup and prepare for the IAAF World Junior Championships, scheduled for July 19-24 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

"It's going to be a rivalry between us for years to come, for who knows how long. If he decides to stay (at Florida) and continue to go to college then we'll have a college rivalry and then we'll go professional and have a professional rivalry, so it's amazing," Norman said. "Running against Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay and Ameer Webb and LaShawn Merritt is a great experience. Having people that you've looked up to and now you're finally racing against him is an unbelievable thing."

Lyles is running the 100 and Norman the 200 in Poland, with both future stars looking to contribute to relay gold for the U.S. as well.

"I came in fourth in my first Olympic Trials," Lyles said. "I'm very satisfied with what happened, and I came out here and I think that me and Mike proved our point that high school is a comin’ and we’re ready to take over."