EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Justin Gatlin really didn't mean to run this fast. It certainly wasn't part of his plan.
His legs just took over.
Gatlin exerted little energy in his first race of the U.S. championships Saturday, easily winning his opening heat of the 200 meters with a blazing time.
The 33-year-old sprinter finished in 19.92 seconds on a steamy afternoon. According to USA Track and Field, it's the fourth-fastest time in the first round of a 200.
After the race, sprinter Curtis Mitchell cracked: "Hey, Gat. Slow down, bro!" Wallace Spearmon also greeted Gatlin with, "Why so fast?" Gatlin just grinned and responded: "I didn't know what I was running."
The polarizing sprinter with a doping past was feeling particularly fresh after skipping the 100 because he has an automatic bye to the world championships from his 2014 Diamond League title.
"My coach said take to take it easy through the rounds," Gatlin said.
Gatlin didn't listen, of course. The only sprinters to run a 200 prelim faster are Carl Lewis (19.84), Shawn Crawford (19.88) and Michael Johnson (19.89).
Isiah Young had the second-fastest time of the afternoon, finishing 0.07 seconds behind Gatlin. The sprinters train together in Florida.
Oregon standout Jenna Prandini went 22.18 in the first round of the women's 200, winding up 0.2 seconds ahead of Candyce McGrone. Prandini also ran the 100, but didn't qualify for worlds in Beijing.
"I'm a little bit sore, but nothing that the trainers can't fix," Prandini said.
Amped up before the race, Gatlin was raring to go. He was a spectator Friday night when Tyson Gay cruised to the win in the 100. Gatlin thinks if he would've been racing, he might have run 9.6 seconds on the super-fast Hayward Field track. That sort of time would've beaten Gay - who's not running the 200 - and broken Gay's American record of 9.69 set in 2009.
That's all conjecture, though. A little brash, too.
"The 100, that's what I've been working on, steadily but surely," Gatlin said.
There's a certain sprinter some 3,000 miles from Eugene surely taking notice - or about to anyway. Usain Bolt, the world record-holder in the 100 and 200, isn't running this week at the Jamaican nationals, taking the opportunity to hone his technique since he already has automatic byes into both events being the world champion.
Gatlin can't fault Bolt for squeezing in some extra work.
"Why go out there and feel the pressure from young guys trying to beat you, trying to get their confidence up?" said Gatlin, who served a four-year ban after testing positive for excessive testosterone in 2006. "Go home, train, get ready for Beijing and come out like a champion."
Spearmon is actually good friends with Bolt and recently chatted with him.
Anything to report?
"I'm not supposed to say," said Spearmon, who ran 20.26 to advance. "He has a bye for both. There's no real point to press it."
Think Bolt will be back to being the dominant Bolt by August?
"No one likes losing. So, of course," Spearmon said. "That's the plan."
Mitchell was impressed with the race of Gatlin, who has world-leading times this season in the 100 and 200.
In regard to Bolt, he has every sprinter's respect.
"This is the fastest man on planet - either raise your game or you're going to be looking at the back of his spikes," Mitchell said. "We don't have time to sit in the stands and speculate. We have to take our (game) to the next level as well."