Bolt: I’m The Greatest

Usain Bolt, who sealed his place in Olympic history when he became only the second man to defend the 100 metres title on Sunday, proudly says the gold medal he won proved that he is the best.

“But winning gold in London really means a lot because a lot of people doubted me and said I wouldn’t win. It was great to show the people  that I’m still Number 1,” he said.

Bolt became the first athlete this century to retain his Olympic 100 metres title, the first since Carl Lewis in 1988. Nobody stays the fastest man in the world for long and there were many who thought Bolt would repeat the brief flickering of many past champions. They were wrong, so very wrong.

Bolt silenced his doubters on Sunday evening by defending his 100m title in a breathtaking Olympic record of 9.63 seconds.

Bolt, however, has insisted he must win the 200m to secure Olympic legend status and he has told rival Yohan Blake that is what he intends to do.

Having come into the Olympics with a cloud hanging over him after being beaten by Blake at the Jamaican trials, Bolt was back to his devastating best.

Defeat to Blake acted as a wake-up call and he is looking to cement his status as one of the greatest Olympians with a 200m win. And he may even run to the line.

“It means one step closer to being a legend,” Bolt said. “That’s just one step, I have the 200m to go. I’m never going to say I’m the greatest until after the 200m.

“I’ve told YB (Blake) that the 200m will be different. I’ve told him already. That’s my pet event – I’m not going to let him beat me.”

Reflecting on the weeks following his defeat at the Jamaican trials, Bolt said: “The trials gave me a wake-up call. Yohan knocked on my door and said, ‘Usain, this is Olympic year’. So I’m grateful for that. My back was hurting. I went and got treatment.”