Gatlin's plan worked and he qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, after finishing 2nd in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the Olympic Trials in Sacramento. The following month, Gatlin made history and won the Olympic 100 metre title in 9.85 seconds, a new personal best, only one hundredth slower than the Olympic record. The finish was incredibly tight, with Francis Obikwelu of Portugal one hundredth behind for the silver medal, his teammate and defending champion Maurice Greene another hundredth back for the bronze medal, and his other teammate Shawn Crawford another two hundredths back for 4th place. In the 200 metres, Gatlin won the bronze medal, completing an American sweep of the podium behind Crawford (Gold) and Bernard Williams (Silver) Finally, he won the silver medal as a member of the 4 × 100 metres relay squad.