EUGENE, Ore. -- Justin Gatlin won the gold medal in the 100 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. A dozen years later, at age 34, he is determined to win again.
And his chances might have gotten better when two-time defending Olympic champion Usain Bolt pulled out of the Jamaica national championships with a hamstring injury on Friday. Nonetheless, Gatlin said he still expects to have to beat Bolt next month at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
"It's an Olympic year, man, and crazy stuff always happens in an Olympic year,'' Gatlin said Saturday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. "That's just the mystery in the air of the Olympics. It's full of dreams, and sometimes dreams don't come true. I guess like anybody else, we're going to have to see what will be determined for him. But c'mon, he's Usain. We're going to see his face in Rio one way or another.''
If Bolt were competing for the United States, that would not be the case. An athlete must finish in the top three at the U.S. track and field trials to go on to the Olympics. Not so in Jamaica, where Bolt has been given a medical exemption, provided he can show his usual form later this month at a race in London.
"At the end of the day, when you command a certain power in track and field, you sometimes you have to exercise it. I think that's what he's doing,'' Gatlin said. "He's injured and he has a medical pass. That's what his country does. Our country doesn't do that. You've got to come to the line, come ready, and if you're not ready that day, you're not getting on the boat to get to the Olympics.''
Asked whether he hopes Bolt is at full strength in Rio, Gatlin replied: "At this point, I'm just worried about the semis and the finals here.''
Gatlin reached Sunday's semis with a time of 10.03 in the qualifiers on Saturday, the day's sixth best time. Trayvon Bromell had the best time at 9.94, followed by Christian Coleman at 9.96 and Tyson Gay at 9.97.
"Right now, everyone has to focus on what they have to do to race at trials and make the team," Gatlin said.
Bolt holds the world record in the 100 with a time of 9.58, while Gatlin's best time is 9.74. Gatlin said Bolt's injury won't change his approach to Rio.
"Being a veteran, you can't let that change you. If I was a rookie, I might have thought I hit the lottery," Gatlin said. "But at end of the day, you have so any people empowered by having their Olympic dreams coming true, they will look at it like, 'This is my chance too.' So I'm looking at it like I might be blindsided by somebody who will step up."