Bolt sees greatness in 3rd Olympic triple gold
August 29, 2013
GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer
ZURICH — Usain Bolt aims to achieve greatness with a third Olympic triple-gold medal haul at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
“To actually go to Rio and win again would be a feat in itself,” Bolt said Wednesday, speaking ahead of the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting.
The Jamaican will run in the 100 meters on Thursday after a world championship sweep in 100, 200 and 4x100 relay in Moscow, where he talked of working hard to attain “the greatness thing.”
He completed the same triple at the past two Olympics and is focused on repeating in Rio.
“For me, the key thing is just to go to defend my titles, and that’s my focus,” Bolt said. “It would be the first time anybody has ever won three times in a row.”
Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt, right, meets with FIFA President Sepp Blatter, left, on Wednesday, …Bolt became the most decorated athlete in world championships history this month, with his career tally of eight golds and two silvers lifting him above American great Carl Lewis.
Three more golds for Bolt in Rio would still leave him trailing Lewis' Olympic track and field record of nine golds and one silver in the medal standings.
“I won’t be adding a fourth event in Rio for sure,” the 27-year-old Bolt said.
Bolt’s news conference was held at FIFA headquarters, across the city from the stadium where he will run Thursday.
Bolt was greeted on arrival by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and later accepted a blue FIFA soccer shirt bearing his name and the No. 9.
Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt, right, meets with FIFA President Sepp Blatter, left, on Wednesday, …Blatter joked that nine seconds was probably the limit for Bolt, whose 100 world record set in 2009 stands at 9.58.
Bolt suggested he was capable of running in the 9.70s at Weltklasse, where a warm, still evening is forecast.
“I have gotten a lot of rest,” said Bolt, who set a Weltklasse meet record of 19.66 in the 200 who last year in cool, wet conditions. “This track is always a fast track and I’ve run some fast times here.”