Gatlin wins second race of comeback
28-year-old former Olympic champ won 100m in 10.17 seconds
By Associated Press | Posted: Aug 8, 11:43a ET
Justin Gatlin wins comeback in Rakvere
August 3, 2010: Justin Gatlin wins his comeback 100m race in 10.24 seconds in Rakvere, Estonia.
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) – Justin Gatlin won his second 100-meter race in a week at the Ergo Games on Sunday during his low-key return to track after a four-year doping ban.
The 28-year-old former Olympic champion finished in 10.17 seconds, beating fellow American Justin Williams by 0.08 seconds at the small meet in the Estonian capital. Aleksandr Linnik of Belarus was third in 10.59.
Gatlin got off to a sluggish start, but his acceleration at the halfway point helped him to pull away from the rest of the field and finish the race comfortably in first place.
“I think it was a good race,” Gatlin told The Associated Press. “My body’s been aching a bit due to a lot of training.”
The sprinter made his comeback at a small meet in the northeastern Estonian town of Rakvere on Tuesday, winning in 10.24.
Gatlin won gold in the 100 at the 2004 Athens Olympics in 9.85, then tested positive in April 2006 for excessive testosterone.
Gatlin is likely to next race at the Joensuu Games in Finland on Aug. 21.