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August 24, 2004 7:31 pm

Gatlin sets sights on 200-meter gold

By ELLIOTT DENMAN

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece — After a relaxed 20.03-second triumph in his quarterfinal heat of the 200 meters on Tuesday — 48 hours after his win in the 100 — Justin Gatlin is a strong candidate to join a list of track luminaries, including Carl Lewis, who have won both races.

But taking a 200 gold won’t be easy.

He’ll have to get past Shawn Crawford, Gatlin’s training partner in Raleigh, N.C., American Bernard Williams, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell and Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu.

It was Obikwelu, Crawford, Powell 2-4-5 behind Gatlin in the 100, but it was Crawford who was fastest of all in the 200 quarterfinals.

The ex-Clemson star clocked a 19.95 in breezing home ahead of Namibia’s 36-year-old super-vet, Frankie Fredericks (20.20), and Germany’s Tobias Unger (20.30.) He’d won the 200 at the U.S. Trials in 19.99.

"Oh, I want this one a lot, after what happened in the 100; I want it more, a lot more," said Crawford.

Other quarterfinal firsts went to Obikwelu (20.33), the ex-Nigerian who’s taken Portuguese citizenship, and Williams (20.40), the Baltimore product who won a gold in the 4x100 relay at Sydney in 2000.

Powell, who might have offered more of a challenge in the 100 final if his starting blocks hadn’t slipped, advanced in 20.23, behind Gatlin.

The semis are Wednesday, the finals Thursday.

Michael Johnson holds the world and Olympic records for the 200 — 19.32 set at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

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