EUGENE, Ore. — Justin Gatlin pointed his left index finger into the sky as he surged across the finish line late Sunday afternoon to secure a first-place finish in the men’s 100-meter race at the United States track and field trials.
He clapped six times in joy and then dropped to one knee for 15 seconds, covering his face in his hands.
“Crying inside,” Gatlin said when asked how it felt to win a spot at his third Olympic Games. “Joy on the outside. But when I got down on one knee after I crossed the finish line, it was relief, crying inside, happy.