Justin Gatlin reacts as 17-year-old Tate Taylor sets 100m National record at UIL State Meet

Justin Gatlin reacted to Tate Taylor's high school national record-breaking feat at the UIL State Track and Field Championships. On Saturday, Taylor clocked a phenomenal wind-legal time of 9.92s at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Tate Taylor has been a rising star in track and field. The San Antonio Harlan School alum finished runner-up in the 200m in his freshman year in 2023. The following year, he won the 200m event in a personal best time of 20.66s at the USATF National Junior Olympics.

Continuing his momentum in 2025, Tate Taylor graced the 100m line-up at the UIL State Track and Field Championships on May 3, 2025. He clinched the win in 9.92s, breaking the high school national record and leaving Duncanville's Brayden Williams in second with 10.01.

His stellar feat at the Mike A. Myers Stadium drew the attention of Justin Gatlin, who shared the news on his Instagram story, beaming with pride.

"Congratulations Nephew!!! It's been an honor to watch you grow, mind, body and soul," the caption read.

Justin Gatlin reacts to Tate Taylor's victorious campaign; Instagram - @justingatlin

Following the race, Taylor narrated the conversation he had with God before getting in the blocks.

"I was telling him before I got in the blocks, 'I don't care if I win, I'm part of history already because this race was really fast.'"

Justin Gatlin, who is now retired, made waves with his 100m prowess in his active years. In the 100m, he won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and also bagged two titles at the 2005 and 2017 World Championships. He was one of the fiercest rivals of the legendary Usain Bolt.

Justin Gatlin showed support for Tate Taylor when the youngster broke the HS indoor 200m record

Gatlin at the 17th IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 - Day Two - (Source: Getty)

Justin Gatlin, who runs the Ready Set Go podcast with track coach Rodney Green, stays connected to track and field even three years into retirement. He is always appreciative of fresh talent and gives his opinions on athletes and track-related matters. In March 2025, Harlan's Tate Taylor set a new high school national record in the 200m by clocking 20.46s at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

Gatlin, who calls Taylor his 'nephew', shared the victory on his Instagram story and captioned:

"You've been truly patient year after year @tk.taylor2 and NOW its paying off for you!! God got you nephew!! Shout out to @coachk_speed for doing an amazing job with you!"

Taylor's achievement eclipsed the previous record time of 20.48s, set by Issam Asinga at the New Balance National Indoors in 2023.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

Know More

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder