Justin Gatlin drops 2-word reaction as 20 year old Jordan Anthony clocks sub 9.80s unofficially at NCAA Track and Field West Regionals

Justin Gatlin recently reacted to Arkansas Razorbacks' sprinter Jordan Anthony's incredible performance in the men's 100m race at the 2025 NCAA Track and Field West Regionals. The East and West Regionals, which are serving as the qualifying event for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled from Wednesday, May 28 to Saturday, May 31, in Jacksonville, Florida and College Station, Texas, respectively.

At the West Regionals, Anthony dominated the men's 100m event after clocking an impressive time of 9.75 (wind +2.1 m/s) seconds to dominate the lineup. He surpassed Taylor Banks and Kalen Walker who posted 9.91 and 9.94 seconds, respectively. Anthony dominated the race from the start to earn a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The multiple-time Olympic medalist Gatlin shared a video of the stunning race on his Instagram story and expressed his amazement at Anthony's extraordinary talent.

"This guy!!" Gatlin wrote adding a series of thunder emojis.

Anthony has displayed his exceptional skills this season. He became the first Razorback to dominate the men's 60m at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 6.49 seconds. The Razorbacks sprinter was also on the recent watch list for the 2025 Bowerman award after he set Arkansas school records in the 60m indoors and 100m outdoors. After his 2025 SEC Outdoor Championships run, where he was listed as the high point scorer with 21.5 points, he earned the Commissioner’s trophy.

Justin Gatlin voices his approach on training young athletes

Justin Gatlin at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Getty Images)

Justin Gatlin recently voiced his approach in training young athletes, stating people should stop comparing them to legendary athletes like Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix. He urged people that young athletes should be given the freedom to make their own path.

“You take these young athletes, you teach them what it is to be a professional athlete, the wins, the losses and please everybody stop saying and telling these young athletes, you're the next great one, you're the next Bolt, you the next Allyson or whoever else. It's the fact of they have the capabilities of doing it, they have a high percentage of doing it of being able to make their mark the same way. Let them walk their path, let them run their path," he said. (0.06 onwards)

Throughout his career, Justin Gatlin secured five Olympic medals.

About the author

Janhavi is a Sports Management graduate working as a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She emphasizes meticulous research and fact-checking before creating content, relying on multiple sources including social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, as well as various sports publications.

She has competed in the 10m Air Rifle Shooting event at the national level alongside renowned athletes such as Anjali Bhagwat, Apurvi Chandela, and Anjum Moudgil, which further fueled her passion for the sport.

Abhinav Bindra is her favorite Olympian, and she particularly cherishes his and Neeraj Chopra's gold medal victories as they revolutionized Indian athletes' mindset towards achieving sporting excellence.

If given the opportunity to introduce a new sport to the Olympics, she would choose American Football for its widespread appeal and intense competition. Apart from reporting on the latest news in the world of Olympics, she likes to immerse herself in reading, painting, and traveling.

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Edited by Mitali