Justin Gatlin was an eighth grader when Suzy Powell qualified for her first Olympic team. When Powell made her second Olympic team in 2000, Gatlin had just finished leading his high school track team to the Florida state championship.

The 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Sacramento will represent familiar turf to Powell, a discus thrower from nearby Modesto. For Gatlin, a young sprinter with a world of promise, the Trials are uncharted territory.

But he's done his geography homework.

"Right now, Sacramento is more important than Athens," Gatlin said.

To attain the ultimate reward - a gold medal or two this summer in Athens, Greece - Gatlin understands that the road heads west from his training base of Raleigh, N.C. Only then can he head east toward the ancient birthplace of the Olympic Games.

Gatlin and Powell attended a press conference Thursday morning in downtown Sacramento. With the U.S. Olympic Trials less than four months away, their thoughts are similar, even if their events and backgrounds aren't. Sacramento is first and foremost on their calendars.

"This is the calm before the storm," Powell said. "Hopefully, we'll be seeing a level-five hurricance in July."

The 2004 Olympic Trials will be held July 9-18 at Hornet Stadium on the Sacramento State campus. The top three finishers in each event will qualify for the Olympic Games, assuming they have met the Olympic 'A' qualifying standard in their event. (Powell and Gatlin both have 'A' qualifiers.)

Powell, 27, is attempting to qualify for her third Olympic team. Gatlin, 22, is trying for his first.

"I'm really excited to see what I can do - to see if I can put myself to the next level," Gatlin said. "I think there's a window of opportunity for me right now."

If there's one conclusion to be drawn from his meteoric career, it's that he's a young man in a hurry. In two seasons at the University of Tennessee, Gatlin won six NCAA sprint titles and led the Volunteers to the national team title in 2001. Figuring he needed new worlds to conquer, he turned professional following his sophomore season in 2002.

In 2003, his first season on the international circuit, Gatlin won a world indoor title and earned one of the biggest one-day paychecks in track history - $500,000 for winning the 100-meter dash at the Moscow Challenge. Another highlight came when tied for first in the 100 meters at the prestigious Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Switzerland, clocking a personal-best 9.97 seconds. Gatlin finished the year ranked fourth in the world by Track & Field News.

With defending Olympic champion Maurice Greene and world record holder Tim Montgomery coming off disappointing 2003 seasons, many observers believe Gatlin is ready to assume the title of "World's Fastest Man." While he believes he's up to the challenge, he speaks respectfully of his elders.

"You can't really count those people out," Gatlin said. "They've done a lot of great things in the past."

Gatlin provided a light moment Thursday when asked about the $500,000 he won in Moscow.

"Big money moves slow," he said. "I'm still waiting on some of that. I just need to be patient. I've been paid some of it, but not all of it."

Prior to coming to Sacramento, Gatlin did a photo shoot in Southern California for Nike, which plans to feature him in its Olympic-year marketing. Gatlin plans to double in the 100 and 200 at the Olympic Trials - something he did regularly as a collegian but shied away from last year due to fear of injury.

"I feel the 200 is my most mature event," said Gatlin, who has a best time of 19.86 in the event. "My goal is to be my old self ... to go out there and double like I did in college."

Half-million-dollar paydays are beyond the reach of female discus throwers. But Powell, a ninth-place finisher at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, isn't selling herself short.

"I'm hoping to come back (from the Olympics) with a medal," she said. "If I didn't believe I had the opportunity to get it done, I wouldn't be here. That's my attitude."

The 2000 Olympic Trials attracted sellout crowds for each of the eight days of competition, and meet organizers have sold approximately 50 percent of the tickets for 2004.

"Obviously I'm very pleased to have the Olympic Trials in my own backyard," Powell said. "Sacramento makes the athletes feel very welcome. It's quite an honor and privilege to be a part of it. Four-day ticket packages for the 2004 Trials go on sale April 1. Single-day tickets are available beginning May 15. For ticket information, visit www.sacsports.com or call (916) 566- 6560.