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Bolt rules out 2012 triple sprint attempt
(Chins Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-04 09:55 KINGSTON: Usain Bolt, the 100 and 200 meters Olympic champion and world record holder, has ruled out running for three individual golds at the 2012 London Games.
Reports earlier this week suggested organisers could rearrange the schedule to allow Jamaican Bolt to defend his 100 and 200 titles, as well as run in the 400 in London. But Bolt, who also picked up a gold medal as part of Jamaica's record-breaking 4x100 team in Beijing last August, rejected any possibility of running the three individual events. "I never actually said that I could run three events, because that's a lot of load and I really doubt whether I can do that," Bolt told Reuters at the launch of his track club in the Jamaican capital late on Tuesday. "I don't think that I could do that at one track meet, so somebody got it wrong along the line. I may be doing 100 and 200, or 200 and 400, but not all three." The 22-year-old is the main attraction at the Racers Track Club, which lists his coach Glen Mills as founder and president. The club, which coaches athletes for the 100, 200, 400 and 400 hurdles, has 23 athletes on its roster, including two female sprinters. It has attracted athletes from around the Caribbean as well as from as far away as Gambia and South Africa. Bolt said the club would "do wonders" for Jamaica and that Mills would push the athletes to great things. "I know a few of them come prepared every day to win, some are here because of me, but they are targeting me and want to beat me, which is something that I welcome and I look forward to them coming here," Bolt said. Bolt eyes Gay clash Bolt also said the 19.58sec 200m produced by a re-energized Tyson Gay last weekend makes for an "interesting" World Championship season.
Only Bolt's world record of 19.30 to claim Beijing Olympic gold and Michael Johnson's 19.32 run in 1996 are faster. "I am looking forward to going out there and doing my best as always," added Bolt, who said a clash with Gay before the World Championships in Berlin in August would suit him fine. "I definitely would want to meet Tyson before World Champs (August 15-23) to see where I am at," he said. "I am looking forward to that showdown." Bolt admitted that he expected things to be harder this year than in 2008, when he broke both his own 100m world record and the 200m world record in winning gold at the Beijing Games. "It's always going to be harder, because you start the season from square one. I may not be in 19.3 shape, so I have to go out there and run again to try do my best to get back into that shape," explained Bolt. "I have a lot of work to do and I am still working hard," he said. "It's going to be a battle with Tyson Gay, because he is not a person to give up." Bolt said Gay's performance at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, didn't surprise him. "I am not surprised because Tyson Gay is a very determined competitor ... he showed that he is one of the best athletes in the world, so I am not shocked in any way," he said. Reuters/AFP
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