Off the wire
• IS kills over 3,000 people in past year in Syria: report  • Overseas Chinese entrepreneurs to convene in Beijing  • Xi to attend BRICS, SCO summit next week  • 2nd LD Writethru-China Headlines: AIIB agreement signed, China-led bank takes key step forward  • Pop star Bieber in Sydney for religious conference  • UN envoy says consensus reached on most of Libya draft agreement  • Backgrounder: China-EU ties in past 40 years  • Interview: Improving Brazil-U.S. ties to be long, difficult: Brazilian expert  • 1st LD: Chinese shares plunged Monday despite easing move  • China Focus: China's sustainable energy competitiveness tops global ranking  
You are here: 　 Home

Gatlin to challenge Bolt at Beijing World Championships

Xinhua, June 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

American sprinter Justin Gatlin won the men's 200-meter in a blistering 19.57 seconds at the US athletic championships on Sunday.

"I wanted to come out and make a statement, and that's what I did," said the 33-year-old Gatlin, who improved his season-leading 19.68 set on the same Hayward Field track at the Eugene Diamond League meeting in May.

Gatlin is now the fifth-fastest man of all time in the event, behind Usain Bolt -- who holds the world record of 19.19 -- Yohan Blake, Michael Johnson and Walter Dix.

He also holds the fastest 100m time of the year of 9.74 seconds and will be a big contender for Bolt in both the 100m and 200m events at the August 22 to 30 World Championships in Beijing.

"I'd say the 100, just because it comes first," Gatlin said of his best world title hope. "But I'm going to put all my effort into both of them.

"A lot of people try to peak for the World Championships. I just want to maintain," added Gatlin.

"I know I had a great start, attacked coming off the turn and ran a great 150," said Gatlin, who called it "the most complete technically 200 meter I ever ran."

His training partner Isiah Young was a distant second in 19.93 with veteran Wallace Spearmon third in 20.10. Endit