André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter
If IAAF Male Athlete of the Year Usain Bolt has his way at the fast-approaching Olympic Games in London, then the entire world is in for a real treat, with the double world record holder hell bent on bettering his own lofty Olympic standards.
Bolt, who propelled himself into the pantheon of international sprinting at the last Olympic Games in Beijing - setting world records in the 100m (9.69) and 200m (19.30) before lowering both marks a year later at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin with times of 9.59 and 19.19, respectively, is now looking to further test his own limitations at what would be his third Olympic appearance.
“For me this is going to be my biggest Olympics, so I am definitely focused and I am looking to go out there and surpass my own feat that I accomplished in Beijing so I am definitely working on that,” Bolt told The Gleaner.
“I am putting in the work and hopefully, with God’s willing and the weather, it should be good for me there,” he added.
Optimal levels
The two-time world 200m champion reported for training at the back-end of 2011 with a clean bill of health, meaning that for the first time in many moons he has conducted his background training at optimal levels and has been able to push himself, which could spell bad news for his rivals.
“The back won’t be a problem this year because we have put in a lot of work on that as well as my strength work and core work. One of the main focus is to try and keep away that (back) problem this season,” Bolt noted.
"My fitness has been holding up and that is key for me. Being able to start the season in the best of shape ensures that I can push myself really hard, so I am very happy with the progress that I have been able to make up to this point in training and I am focused and ready to work even harder.
“It’s been going great, training has been wonderful. I haven’t been having any problems so I have been doing well. All my strength work has been going well so I can’t really complain, I’m just trying to stay focused and keep working hard,” said Bolt, who has had trouble with injuries over the years due to his scoliosis condition.
Bolt ended 2011 unbeaten, with the only blemish on his season coming at the World Championships in Daegu, where he false started in the 100m final. He did, however, retain his 200m World title, before posting the fastest 100m time of the year (9.76) to close out another big year for the Jamaican superstar.