Justin Gatlin

Class of: 2018

Sport: Track and Field

Team: US Olympics

School: Woodham High School

A native of Pensacola, Justin Gatlin attended Woodham High School in Pensacola before earning a track scholarship at the University of Tennessee.  At UT, Gatlin was converted from a hurdler to a sprint specialist. In two seasons of competition, Gatlin would win six NCAA individual titles in various sprint events before turning pro.

In 2004, Gatlin earned the title “World’s Fastest Man” when he took the Gold Medal in the 100-meter dash at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. During his career, he won medals in 17 different Olympic and World Championship events.  To the shock of many, Gatlin won the 2017 World Championship in the 100 meters, defeating teammate Christian Coleman (silver) and Usain Bolt (bronze) in a time of 9.92 seconds.

On May 12, 2006, Gatlin equaled the World Record in the 100 meters with a 9.77 time during a meet in Doha, Qatar. Gatlin won the ESPY as Best Track and Field Athlete in 2006. He was enshrined into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 7, 2018.