Posted: July 2, 2006

Athletics: Mild Leg Strain Sidelines Gatlin From Athens

By Bob Ramsak
© 2006 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved

Justin Gatlin, the World and Olympic champion in the 100 meters and the event’s co-world record holder at 9.77 seconds, will miss tomorrow’s Tsiklitiria – OPAP IAAF Super Grand in Athens with a mild leg injury, organizers announced today.

Gatlin, who was scheduled to make his first appearance since winning the U.S. title last weekend, was to face Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu and Nigeria’s Olu Fasuba, the recently-minted African record holder in the event, on the same Olympic Stadium track where he claimed the Olympic title in 2004.

According to a report on IAAF.org, the website for the sport’s international governing body, Jamaican Asafa Powell, now training at his summer base in Italy, was asked to compete, but declined the offer, citing a slight hamstring strain. Last June, Powell set the world record in the 100 meters in Athens, clocking 9.77.

Gatlin’s next scheduled appearance is the Athletissima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne on Tuesday, July 11, while Powell is set to compete at the Gaz de France IAAF Golden League meet in Paris on Saturday, July 8.

-- Shaheen's Streak on the Line --

With Gatlin’s withdrawal, the primary attention of the Athens meeting will now be focused on Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar, the two-time world champion in the steeplechase, who will be making his 2006 debut in the event. Shaheen, who lowered the world record in the event to 7:53.63 in 2004, said today that weather-permitting, he would like to attack the event’s 7:50 barrier.

“So I hope tomorrow the weather conditions will be ideal in my race and that everything goes well,” said Shaheen, who has a 20-race win streak in the event, the longest by any athlete in the sport.

The meet will be broadcast live in Europe on Eurosport from 19:00 Central European time.

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