"Oh you have no choice but to sign with Nike"- Justin Gatlin enrages track and field agents for not thinking about athlete's interest

Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin recently opened up about track and field agents and their impact on new athletes who turn pro in the circuit. Gatlin felt that athletes were being pushed to pursue sponsorship deals without having complete information on how it would affect their careers in the long term.

Despite retiring from track and field, Justin Gatlin remains closely knitted to the sport and aims to bring about a positive change in the track and field community with his huge influence. His podcast " Ready Set Go", where he speaks about the issues the sport is going through and how the sport can reach a wider audience, is popular among track and field enthusiasts.

Recently, Gatlin opened up about track and field agents being selfish and not considering an athlete's interest while signing long-term deals with various brands.

" So when you have athletes who don't have the knowledge of understanding their contract and their finances and is perpetuated by these agents who are pressing you with half-truths and saying things like, Oh, you have no choice but to sign with Nike. Oh, you have no choice to sign with Adidas, not realizing, that those agents have a relationship with those shoe companies," he said.

Furthermore, he was enraged over their selfish tactics and added:

" They don't want to create turbulence in their relationship with those shoe companies because you're just one athlete that they are gonna have for the next decade or more. They are thinking about their own interest, and they are thinking about your interest being temporary."

Justin Gatlin opens up on the highly competitive 100m lineup in the USA

17th IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 - Day Two

The 100m lineup in the United States is always considered to be one of the most competitive nationals in the world. Justin Gatlin opened up on the fierce competitiveness at the 100m United States National Trials.

"The crazy thing is America is such a revolving door. So you'll see one crazy talent leave and then the other one come into the group. You know, I mean you never, you always have to be on your game," he said.

"USA is the only country where you can run 9.9 and watch the Olympics from home. Olympic trials always gave me more anxiety than going to the real Olympics," added Gatlin.

With over a month left for the U.S. Olympic trials, the excitement and anticipation among fans is at an all-time high.