Bolt, 29, who holds the world records for both the 100m and 200m, beat drug cheat Gatlin to both world titles at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing last summer after overcoming injury. How many athletes get samba dancers at their last press conference?
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What did we learn?
“I really want it”, he said. I think we’re weeding out the bad ones.
On the walls one graffiti artist had painted Bolt crouching down in a starting position looking intently Christ the Redeemer. In past years, Bolt has coasted into championships out of shape, but he has still found ways to win every time. He covered the final 100m in 9.27 seconds that day.
“In life nothing is guaranteed“, he said. “I hope you will go even though you get hit by a Segway”.
Bolt is preparing to bow out as athletics reels from two of the biggest controversies in the sport’s history, the Russian doping scandal and corruption allegations against the former leadership of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). They worry about these problems. I go out and compete and wow the crowd.
His main adversary Justin Gatlin, his arch rival, was not given a name-check. The Jamaican sprinter in an interview to CNN said that he was sure to win Gold in all three fields of 100 meters, 200m, and 4x100m, which he had won in the last two Olympics.
Entering the jam-packed press conference, it took Bolt all of 5 seconds to take the event away from usual presser protocol, playfully demanding the silent media throng applaud much louder for him.
Four years ago in London, Bolt set an Olympic record by winning gold in a time of 9.63 seconds.
“I’m more nervous over 200m than anything else. We have had a few rough years, but I think in a few years, the sport will be clean and everything will be great”, Bolt said.
“I’ve got to prove myself over and over again”. I always wanted to run sub-19.
UB: “For me, time is everything, because from the time you wake up you have to have your heart and soul in this”.
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The physical proximity is exciting enough in itself, but – with such a consummate showman and larger-than-life personality – there’s always the chance of a fist bump, an exchanged joke, or – if you’re George Hoy, whose rota happened to place him at the men’s 200 metre heats – a wooly hat. His time of 19.89sec in the men’s 200m clocked in London in July is the fifth fastest this year. “I called my coach and asked ‘how was it?'” Bolt revealed. People should have faith (in athletics), like I said, because we are heading in the right direction.
