Bolt : I'm excited and nervous - sprint star gearing up to make history at last Olympics
Published:Wednesday | August 3, 2016 | 12:00 AM
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
You'd think that after six Olympic and 11 World Championships gold medals, competing on the grandest stage would be second nature to the world's fastest man.
Not quite.
The Jamaican speedster Usain Bolt says he's both excited and nervous about his fast-approaching date with destiny as he again takes a shot at sporting history, with the objective being to secure another Olympics gold medal hat-trick.
Bolt, who recently recovered from a hamstring injury to win the 200m at the London Diamond League meet, says he is pleased with his preparation for the defence of his titles and is ready to close off his Olympics story covered in golden glory.
"Things have been really good, and I'm definitely looking forward to this. I know it's going to be big. It's very important to me, so I'm looking forward to it," said Bolt.
The 100m, 200m, and 4x100m gold medal winner from the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics, however, admitted that he still gets nervous ahead of the Olympic Games - particularly before lining up in the 200m, an event he repeatedly highlights as his favourite.
LOOKING FORWARD TO ATHLETES' VILLAGE
"It's my last Olympics, so I'm nervous and excited at the same time," he shared.
"Yes, I always get nervous, especially with my 200m, but when I'm in the Athletes' Village, it always goes away, so I'm looking forward to being around the other athletes and just the excitement and the vibes. This always pushes me," Bolt told The Gleaner just before leaving the team's training base, heading into the Athletes' Village with the rest of the track and field team yesterday.
"Everything has been going great. It's coming along smoothly. My coach is happy with everything. I'm having no pain, and that's great," Bolt added.
Bolt is expected to come up against compatriots Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade with Americans Justin Gatlin and Trayvon Brommel also expected to bring the greatest challenges.