"I would have liked them to do more on the Africans" – Justin Gatlin weighs in on recent Netflix series controversy

Justin Gatlin recently commented on the Netflix docuseries "Sprint," raising concerns about the underrepresentation of African athletes. His remarks come amid ongoing controversies surrounding the series.

The 42-year-old retired American sprinter experienced a lot of success in his career. He is an Olympic Champion, having earned one gold medal, along with two Olympic silver medals. He is also a two-time Diamond League final winner and a four-time world champion.

Both seasons of "The Sprint" docuseries on Netflix explore the journeys of the world's fastest athletes, delving into their personal and professional lives. The series highlights their rigorous training regimens and the mental and emotional challenges they face. The recently released second season focuses on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

However, the series has faced criticism for underrepresenting African athletes in both seasons. Letsile Tobogo, Akani Simbine, and Ta Lou Smith are among the prominent African athletes who have chimed in with this criticism of the series.

This week, on the "Ready Set Go" podcast with Rodney Green, Gatlin was asked about the docuseries. He said,

"I would have liked them to do more on the Africans, man. All the African sprinters. And I would have loved more out of that. Africa has had a great surge in sprinters from different countries like Liberia. And Semine is doing what he's always been doing, but he has a whole emergence of young kids who he's fostering behind him, who will carry the torch." (11:20).

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Justin Gatlin shared his review on Sprint Docuseries

US sprinter Justin Gatlin media conference in South Africa - Source: Getty

Following the controversies surrounding the Sprint docuseries, Justin Gatlin shared his thoughts in the November 2024 podcast with Ready Set Go. He expressed disappointment, noting that the series failed to offer the in-depth athlete insights he had hoped for.

Rodney Green asked,

"What did you think about the whole series, did you watch the whole series?"

The Olympic champion responded:

"I watched the whole series... I think the way it's filmed because it's so 2020-hindsight for us, right, by us going through the season already. I'm speaking as a spectator...Us watching it in real-time, going through the season and then knowing who the winners are...kind of understanding the roles that all the athletes are already playing.

So when I watched it, I didn't get that spike of excitement that I was looking for, you know what I mean...It kind of played out the way it was supposed to play out or I feel like I didn't get that much in-depth knowledge of the athletes that I was looking for. It was just following those athletes, I guess, trying to make their big moment happen, which is the Olympics" (6:09 ).

Also in the podcast episode, Justin Gatlin praised Gabby Thomas as a rising star of 2024.