Coaches Weigh In On Justin Gatlin's Top Gear Longevity

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

Justin Gatlin's ability to remain a global force in sprinting at 37 years old has to contain a secret.

“I’ll say it in one word: PERSEVERANCE.”

That is the all-caps response from coach Dennis Mitchell, who has trained Gatlin as he prepares for his sixth appearance at IAAF World Championships on Saturday in Doha, Qatar. During that span, Gatlin has earned eight medals including five golds, two of which came at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki where he swept the 100-and 200-meter dash.

For some, age is more than a number. It's an indicator of career superiority. Tom Brady, now 40, is regarded as the greatest quarterback of all-time and his peer, Drew Brees, is a first-ballot NFL Hall of Famer.

Longevity in track and field is rare but not without precedent.

“Kim Collins was running faster at 38 than at 28,” said Brooks Johnson, one of the brightest minds in the sport who coached Gatlin for a short stint. “Meb (Keflezighi), Bernard Lagat, and Mo Farah are all examples of impressive success after the time when most people think they are over the hill.” 

Johnson went on to say that the biggest factor in accounting for athletes running fast at an advanced age is how they buy into the popular concepts that go with it.

“Longevity can be attributed to selecting the right parents, lifestyle, and good mechanics,” Johnson said. "Put this all together the result is longevity.”

Loren Seagrave, a sprint tactician who has coached numerous professional athletes as well as delegations from countries in South America, Europe, and Asia, believes longevity in any sport is a multifactorial phenomenon and can’t be just one thing.

“What are the intrinsic or extrinsic motivating factors that keep players returning to the game year after year?" Seagrave asked. "In many cases it boils down to this is the thing that I can do that generates the most revenue. In other cases, it’s the fame and not necessarily fortune.”

Or is it that they still have something to prove? 

With Gatlin, there are a variety of elements. 

“He has good technique, excellent coaching, and the heart of a warrior,” Johnson said.

Focus on Health

Remaining injury-free is a crucial factor in any athlete's longevity. It is important for athletes at the highest levels to invest in the best of the medical world, including doctors, physios, massage therapists, and more. Being proactive in preventing injuries is also better than waiting to be healed after the fact. One important member of Gatlin’s team is Dr. David Pascal, a Neurologic Sports Medicine Chiropractor who has worked with the sprinter since 2003, far longer than anyone.

“This is our sixth World Championship together,” Pascal said. “Justin has several things that all add up to contribute to his longevity. First, his God-given talent. Second, his exceptional awareness of his body (he will stop if something doesn’t feel right), and lastly the luck to never have a freak injury.”

Pascal noted that Gatlin received a lot of body care, but most important is the three years of significant neurologic work. He visits the doctor’s office one to three times a week with Quantum Neurology and the other neuro work Pascal does.  

“This is different from all the other work he did, and chiropractic, too, because it is re-setting and clearing out any neurological glitches so that his muscles, organs and rest of the body will function significantly better," he explained. “That care has long-term meaning, years of effect. Justin has had no major injuries. He had a four-year break on the body from hard training and still stayed in decent shape.”

Gatlin served a doping ban from 2006 to 2010. 

In nearly two decades of working with Gatlin, Pascal knows him as well as anyone.

The doctor says there is something else that has spurred Gatlin to stay with it for so long. 

“The other big factor that separates him from almost everyone else is his desire to win,” he said. "He’s driven and focused.”