Gatlin tied but didn't break the 100-meter record

LONDON — American sprinter Justin Gatlin thought he broke the 100-meter world record last Friday at the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha, earning the title of world's fastest man.

It turns out he only equaled the record and will have to share it with Jamaican rival Asafa Powell.

A timing error prompted the sport's governing body Wednesday to take away Gatlin's announced record of 9.76 seconds. The International Association of Athletics Federations said his time was recorded at 9.766 and should have been manually rounded up to 9.77.

Gatlin's time has now been adjusted to 9.77 and, pending ratification, will equal the record set by Powell in Athens, Greece, on June 14, 2005.

An obviously perturbed Gatlin issued a statement through USA Track & Field.

"It is very disappointing to me that it has taken five days to determine the official time of a race with this significance," he said. "I remain confident that I am the world's fastest man and I look forward to proving it once again. My parents raised me to be a good sport, but I don't want to share the world record."

Gatlin's agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, said the sprinter was "very distraught. His bubble just got burst. This is a total embarrassment to the IAAF and our sport."

Gatlin and Powell will run May 28 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., but not in the same race. They are contractually obligated to race for the first time this year June 11 in Gateshead, England.