Bolt sees London as Jamaican home from home
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E-mail China Daily, March 21, 2012
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Jamaican sprinter and Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt poses for a photo at the University of West Indies Athletics Track in Kingston March 9, 2012. [Photo/China Daily] |
With less than five months to go until Bolt defends his 100, 200 and 4x100 metres relay titles, the 25-year-old remains characteristically relaxed and hopes his compatriots will roar him to victory.
"I've been waiting for this summer for four years so I'm going to enjoy every moment and put on a show for everybody around the world," he told Reuters in an interview.
"The Olympic Games is going to be a massive thing for me and I'm really looking forward to it. It is going to be bigger for me than for most people because there are a lot of Jamaican people living in London. I know they will be going crazy so I have to put on a show."
Over one million people applied for tickets to watch the men's 100m final in the Olympic Stadium on Aug 5.
Bolt is also the favourite to win the 200m final on Aug 9 and hopes to be a key part of Jamaica's team in the 4x100m relay final on Aug 11 - a title he also won four years ago.
Expectations will be high with fans seeing if Bolt can break his own world records in London having run the 100m in 9.58 seconds in the 2009 Berlin world championships.
Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), recently told Reuters he believed Bolt could run it in 9.4.
"That's nice to hear but, for me, when it comes to records, my saying is 'anything is possible'," Bolt said.
"I go out and train every day, work hard in every session, stay focused and do my best. Nobody knows what will happen.
"My coach (Glen Mills) is always giving me things to work on so I improve in everything that I do and that makes me get better every day. Every Monday he will give me something else to focus on. I am lucky because I have the best coach around.
"Hopefully that will bring good things this summer and I can put on a show. People don't always realise it, but I am training very seriously and very hard because I want to be a legend."
False start
Bolt was disqualified from the 100m final in the 2011 World championships in Daegu, South Korea, for a false start as training partner Yohan Blake took gold.
Although the Jamaican's trademark composure was rocked, he is now getting back to top form.
"For me, my confidence is all about staying in good shape. If I'm in good shape, my confidence is really high, I feel at the top of my game and I don't really worry," he said.
"That's when you see me dancing and having fun. But if I'm not in my best shape, then I don't feel so good and I'll be a little worried. For a lot of last year I wasn't at my best. But this year I feel good and I know that as long as I'm at my best, I'll be OK.
"I can see that I am improving and getting better and that my timing is good and that helps you definitely. You know you're on track and that is a good thing."
The Jamaican is currently starring in a television advertising campaign in which he races through the streets of London and he expects the city to embrace him again once the Games begin.
"People know me in London really well so I am expecting lots of support there and I am looking forward to entertaining the crowds. But the place I am most recognised is in Asia. I think any athlete who goes there gets mobbed," he said in a interview arranged by Visa.
"It will be the same in London with the Jamaican people, but if I'm getting lots of attention, I'm happy."
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