12 July,2011 09:07 AM IST | | AFP
Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion who served a four-year doping ban, said he feels like a rookie again as he tries to rebuild his career at the age of 29.
"The four years of sanctions have been more difficult from the psychological point of view," the US athlete told Spanish daily El Pais in an interview published yesterday.
The ban "was tough because I was on top, I had it all," he said.
"But now I see things differently. I don't think I am better, I'm the same age as Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, who are doing very well. I feel as if I am starting again, as a rookie. I feel my body still has much to give."
