After running 20.13 to finish third in his semifinal, Justin Gatlin’s individual Olympic hopes are over.
He was the reigning World silver medalist, U.S. Olympic trials champion and ranked #2 in the world heading into Rio.
Afterwards, Gatlin disclosed that his ankle started hurting him during his warm up.
“Back in the warm up area, my ankle started stiffing up on me a little bit.
“I made the best of it, had a tight turn. I wish all the guys luck out there, we’re getting ready for the 4×1,” he said.
When asked if he thought the look that he gave [to the side] at the end of the race cost him a spot in the finals, Gatlin replied that he felt his ankle in pain on the homestretch.
LaShawn Merritt ran 19.94 to easily win his semifinal, and Usain Bolt ran a season best of 19.78 (-0.3), ahead of Andre De Grasse, who broke his own Canadian National record.
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