By Elias Makori, Managing Editor
Four years after hanging up his spikes, Justin Gatlin isn't just watching the sport he once dominated. He is actively hijacking its narrative. The former Olympic 100-metre champion and multiple World Championship medalist has seamlessly pivoted into digital media, sports technology, and athletic advocacy, replacing the thunderous roar of the crowd with the subtle art of storytelling.
At the recent World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, the narrative officially flipped inside the high-stakes Mixed Zone of the Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ (Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre). For the first time on a global stage of this magnitude, Gatlin stood on the opposite side of the barricades, holding the microphone and dictating the tempo of the post-race interrogation.
Justin Gatlin at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha. Gatlin retired from competition in 2022 and launched his podcast 'Ready, Steady, Go.' (Photo / World Athletics)
"I never thought I’d be on the media side…. I like it,” Gatlin revealed to Pura Vida Sports Africa in an exclusive, candid Mixed Zone chat. “I understand it because it’s almost like preparing yourself for sports. You’ve got to have talent, an eye, and, in the media space, know what questions to ask. It’s about timing and it’s also about understanding the intentions of how you are going to interview an athlete—understanding each athlete individually and what they have done, what they have achieved, and what their story is."
Positive Influence to Athletes
“I love track and field, I love sport, I love the nuance of it. I love that every athlete has a story and I have always, naturally, been watching sport and now that I have a podcast “Ready, set, go” with my co-host Rodney Green, who is the godfather of my kids and also my best friend, we naturally just sit down and talk about track, give our perspective and we also want to give a positive influence to athletes to know that they’ve also got a place where they can come and have great conversations and dialogue – athlete-to-athlete.”
Green is a former Bahamas elite sprinter who boasts silver medals in the 4x100m relay at both the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, and at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships. The highly successful track-and-field podcast, "Ready Set Go", has fast become a staple for track enthusiasts.
Former Olympic and World 100m champion Justin Gatlin and 'Ready, Steady, Go' podcast co-host Rodney Green interview American sprinter Ronnie Baker at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest earlier this month. (Photo / Elias Makori)
Known to his legion of fans as "Coach Rod," Green balances Gatlin’s elite championship experience with a deeply analytical coaching perspective and he is widely praised by the podcast’s fans for his sharp humor, blunt technical breakdowns, and ability to pull a more lighthearted, candid side out of Gatlin.
Digital Creator And Analyst
Gatlin uses the platform to analyze major international meets, break down sprinting techniques, and host candid conversations with iconic figures of the sport, including his legendary former rival Usain Bolt. This media role frequently takes him around the globe, where he covers elite athletics competitions as a digital creator and analyst.
Looking back, did his track experience and exposure prepare to give him the edge in journalism? Does he still feel journalists were, perhaps, too hard on him? “I realise that to do anything that you do, there’s gotta be good and bad. There’s gonna be good journalists, and there’s gonna be bad journalists… there could be good athletes and bad athletes.
“For me, I realise that even journalists are doing their job. They have to create a story, they have to sometimes sensationalise it, put a little spin on it, make a little rivalry, do all kinds of things because that’s part of their job. I realise coming to this space of media that I have utmost respect for journalism because you have to run the gauntlet, and educate yourself on being a journalist.
Former Olympic and World 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin and 'Ready, Steady, Go' podcast co-host Rodney Green (centre) interview South African sprinter Akani Simbine at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest earlier this month. (Photo / Elias Makori)
“I think the dynamic I bring is that athlete-to-athlete-perspective – I do speak to an athlete more or less from (the perspective of) ‘I know where you are, even when you lose, I know what it feels like to lose, even when you win, I know how excited you are, and I also know how hungry you are for the next goal.’
Mental Health And Wellness Software
Beyond media, Gatlin has dedicated his time to addressing the hidden pressures of competitive sports. He joined the sports technology company ‘The Zone’ as a strategic adviser, using his background to help develop mental health and wellness software tailored specifically for collegiate and youth athletes.
He also maintains a remarkably active physical routine, refusing to completely abandon the starting blocks. Gatlin set his sights on breaking the Masters 100m World Record for athletes over 40 and frequently keeps fans engaged through high-profile exhibition match-ups.
Whether lining up for a 60-metre showdown against Olympic champion English Gardner or playfully teasing sprint challenges with mainstream internet influencers and NFL players, Gatlin remains deeply embedded in the culture of speed.
His advice to athletes transitioning out of track?: “If you have a passion for what you do, and if track and field is your passion, then you are a fan. If you are watching other runners, maybe even your opponents, and you study them, along the way you are still admiring the craft of track and field.
Former Olympic and World 100m champion Justin Gatlin (left) with 'Ready, Steady, Go' podcast co-host Rodney Green at Hayward Park in Oregon, USA. (Photo / Justin Gatlin)
“For me, that’s when I realized studying and watch (Usain) Bolt run, watching Tyson (Gay), Assafa (Powell) run, I actually enjoyed watching them run! I’m looking at Assafa’s technique and I’m amazed by it. I’m looking at Bolt’s stature, and how he performs, and his showmanship, and I’m impressed by it. And this is why I’m still running and competing against these guys. And I realized once I step away from the track and start becoming more of a reporter, on that side, that’s what I want to understand, like ‘how do you know that technique like that?’, ‘are you naturally a showman in that way?’ Those are questions I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t because I was a competitor. So now (as a journalist) I have an opportunity to do so.” (elias.makori@ymail.com)
Former athlete-turned-journalists Justin Gatlin (right) with his 'Ready, Steady, Go' podcast co-host Rodney Green. Below: Gatlin, during his running days, six years ago, with 'Pura Vida Sports Africa' Editor Elias Makori at the 2020 World Athletics Gala in Monaco. (Photos / Justin Gatlin / Elias Makori)
