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Gatlin targets 9.75 for 100 meters
 Gatlin moved from New York when he was nine years old. NEW YORK -- Justin Gatlin, who grabbed a share of the 100 meters world record last month, hopes to celebrate a happy homecoming when he competes in New York's grand prix athletics meet on Saturday. "There is the sentimental value, being born in Brooklyn," Gatlin, who will be running his first 100 meters race in New York, told reporters at a news conference for the event that features 150 athletes from 19 countries. Gatlin moved from New York when he was nine and became a track star in his high-school years in Florida and at the University of Tennessee. New York, however, still holds a special place in the heart of the 24-year-old, who said he expects to have a cheering section of more than 30 friends and family members at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. "I have a lot of memories of growing up, jumping over the fire hydrants, racing kids on foot when they were on bikes," Gatlin said. "I was adventurous." Gatlin never lost his lust for speed and completed a Triple Crown of sprinting in Doha on May 12 when he claimed a share of the 100 meters world record to add to his Olympic and world championship titles. "I'm not 25 yet and I've done about everything you can do in track. Now I just have to motivate myself to go out there and do it again," he said. Gatlin said covering 100 meters in 9.77 seconds to tie the record set by Jamaican Asafa Powell was a thrill. "There are two different excitements from that," he said. "The Olympic gold is prestigious. The world record is excitement -- you're the world's fastest man. I'm happy to have both those accomplishments." Even fasterThe American is aiming to run even faster this season, citing 9.75 as his target. "I think I'm going into my zone, I'm finding my niche. I'm getting good acceleration. I'm very comfortable," he said. "Running fast gets addictive. You want to run faster every time." Gatlin leads a field of more than two dozen Olympic and world championship medallists at Saturday's meeting. Other stars include 2004 Olympic gold medallists Veronica Campbell of Jamaica (200 meters and 4x100m relay), Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas (400 meters), and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia (5,000 meters). Gatlin said the New York track was fast and that he hoped to improve on his 9.88 last week in cool, damp conditions at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. "At the Prefontaine, I bumped into another runner and it was 50 degrees (Fahrenheit). That was a great time with rain," he said. "Here, the weather will be more merciful and maybe I can run a great time." 
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