Gatlin wins 100m comeback in 10.24 seconds

Justin Gatlin won a 100-metre race in 10.24 seconds yesterday in his first competition after a four-year doping ban.



Gatlin's time at the small Bigbank Kuldliiga meet in northeastern Estonia, was nearly 0.4 seconds off the pace that made him Olympic champion in 2004.



The 28-year-old American sprinter finished .07 seconds ahead of countryman J-Mee Samuels, while Rubin Williams, also of the United States, was third in 10.54.



Gatlin won his qualifying heat earlier in 10.34.



Gatlin won gold in the 100 at the 2004 Athens Olympics in 9.85. He won the 100 and 200 at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, but was banned from the sport after testing positive in April 2006 for excessive testosterone. The ban ended last month.