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Bolt not resting on laurels

Bolt not resting on laurels

28/08/2008 6:26 AM

Usain Bolt insists he will not rest on his laurels in his first race since his triple Olympic glory in Beijing.

The 22-year-old, who smashed the 100 metre, 200m and 4x100m relay records at the Games, and plans to extend his domination of world class sprinting at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich on Friday.

Bolt will contest the 100m and possibly the relay, but dismissed concerns that he would be tired after the long journey from China.

"Yes, it was a long trip to get here, but I'm not tired at all," he said Bolt. "I've done a little training since I got here."

"I'm trying to get the blood pumping again in preparation for Friday evening."

The Zurich meeting is his first stop on the AF Golden League circuit which will be followed by a competition in Brussels next Friday and the World Athletics final in Stuttgart on September 13-14.

Bolt admits he would have liked to have returned to Jamaica to receive a hero's welcome after his magnificent displays at the Games, but is focused on the upcoming meet.

He added: "Track and field is my job, I still have work to do before I go home. I'm not worried that my countrymen will think less of me for this."

Despite his unprecedented success in Beijing, Bolt is coy about repeating his superhuman feats at London 2012.

"I think I did just about everything possible in Beijing," he said of his awesome triple.

However, he refused to be drawn on whether he can lower his world record in the Letzigrund stadium.

"I'm going to enjoy myself. There is always a great crowd in Zurich, one which presses right down to trackside. And it's always warm here!" he said.

His trainer Glen Mills is confident of his protege's talents and reckons that he can still improve his 100m technique.

"I haven't seen the complete biomechanical report from Beijing yet," said Mills, "but I can say that Usain had a good start by his own standard."

"His first 60m were very good. I was told that with an all-out finish after the opening 60m, Usain was projected to run 9.52 seconds."

Worringly for his rivals, Mills is adamant that the best is yet to come from Bolt.

He continued: "It's only his first year with serious work in the 100m. In two more years, he should be peaking."

He may have dominated on two fronts, but Bolt has played down reports that his next target is Michael Johnson's 400m world record.

"I hope that we don't look at this event very soon," he joked.

"From past experience, I can truthfully say that I'm not a big fan of 400m training!"

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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