Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt closer to legendary status
"This gold means I am one step closer to being a legend so I'm working toward that," he said. "That's just one step. "I have the 200m to go, so I'm looking forward to that."Four-time Olympic champion 25-year-old Jamaican Usain Bolt, which set a new Games record on Sunday as he won the gold medal in the Olympic 100m says he is edging closer to legendary status. Bolt won in an Olympic record time of 9.63 seconds and is already thinking about his next target at London 2012 - the 200m.
"This gold means I am one step closer to being a legend so I'm working toward that," he said. "That's just one step. "I have the 200m to go, so I'm looking forward to that."
Bolt is a strong favourite for gold in the 200m, an event he also won at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. His time of 19.19secs, set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, remains the world record.
When asked on BBC Radio 5 live whether he could break the 19-second barrier, Bolt smiled and said: "Well, it's been on my mind a couple of years now and this season, on this track, feeling more confident in myself - we'll see."
"I don't want to say I can do it and then not do it. But it's on my mind."
The heats of the 200m begin in the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, with the final on Thursday at 20:55 BST. Bolt was beaten by training partner Yohan Blake in the 200m at the Jamaican trials in early July. Blake also beat him in the 100m but was forced to settle for silver at London 2012.
"There was a lot of people saying I wasn't going to win," said Bolt. "There was a lot of talk. It was great feeling to come out here and show the world I'm still number one and still the best."
Blake clocked a time of 9.75 to equal his personal best, while American Justin Gatlin took the bronze in 9.79.
added on Monday 24th July 2023