'Don't Be Frustrated Mid-Season' – Justin Gatlin Tears Into Gabby Thomas Over Doping Coach Comments

American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has hit out at Gabby Thomas over comments that all coaches who have been involved in doping should be banned.

She insisted that the coaches should be subjected to lifetime bans from the sport, whether they were caught as athletes or exposed later as coaches.

She added that if an athlete chooses to train under a coach with a doping history, they are not to be trusted. Fans concluded that she might have been addressing Melissa Jefferson-Wooden indirectly following her impressive form so far this season.

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Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been unbeaten in the women’s 100m so far this season, having beaten Gabby Thomas twice, at the US Championships and the Grand Slam Track Miami.

“Doping coaches should be banned for life from coaching in the sport. Whether you were banned while competing as an athlete or caught distributing as a coach (for some, both),” Gabby Thomas said on her Instagram stories.

“Idc idc idc. If you train under a coach who is known for doping (once, twice, or even three times for some) you are complicit. That’s my stance.”

Justin Gatlin pointed out that the ongoing group chat discussions had been ‘spot-on,’ noting that everyone has their own story and journey.

He stressed that the issue for him was the timing of Gabby Thomas’ comments, arguing that if she had made them after winning Olympic gold in 2024, the reception would have been different.

The 2004 Olympic champion explained that had she also made the same statements after winning the 2025 World Championships, people would still view them in another light because she would have proven herself by beating the best.

However, he said many people were questioning why Gabby Thomas was making such controversial statements now, on her own, even though he acknowledged it was her stance to take.

“But the fact is, it makes it look like you're taking shots at someone like Melissa. For Melissa to react to what they say, I don't know if it's true; allegedly, Melissa unfollowed her as well because it's all about the timing,” Justin Gatlin said on the Ready Set Go podcast.

“And in that timing, right now, Melissa beat her twice, and Melissa's running and undefeated in the 100 meters. So, it makes it look like the fact of what you said goes back to Melissa and her group and everything of that nature.

“And I feel like you should have taken a stance when you had the opportunity, and you held the golden coin in your hand.”

Justin Gatlin argued that Gabby Thomas had no right to make such bold statements at the moment, pointing out that she did not ‘hold the golden coin’ and was not even competing in Diamond Leagues as she focused on preparing for the biggest race of her life at the World Championships.

He insisted it would have been wiser for Gabby Thomas to remain silent for now and simply put in the work.

“And if you're frustrated if you didn't go out here and win the world championships, speak your mind then. We could understand how frustrated you were then,” he added.

“But don't be frustrated mid-season when you we see you at all these events. You know what I mean? But then, when you barely make the team, now you're going to say, ‘Well, I don't like this, I don't like that, and this is what I stand on.’”

Justin Gatlin concluded that while it was fine for Gabby Thomas to speak from the heart, she needed to remember that statements have to age, either well or badly, and at the moment, many people were pushing back against the stance she had taken.