No sooner did Usain Bolt happily pocket the 100m world gold than his focus was promptly switched to snagging two more golds in his never-dying quest to become a “real legend” of modern day track and field.
Bolt’s blistering, world record-setting performances at the Berlin worlds in 2009 followed treble gold at the Beijing Olympics.
A blip in the Daegu worlds in 2011 saw him lose his 100m crown to teammate Yohan Blake after a false-start disqualification, but he rebounded for two more golds there before sealing a unique double treble at last year’s London Olympics.
Bolt made no bones about his primary intention in the Russian capital: win back the 100m title.
“I feel a little tired, I need some rest,” said Bolt. “I continue to work on my aim to become a legend by collecting gold medals and athlete of the year titles. And the 200m and 4x100m relay are yet to come,” he added.
Bolt said there was no added pressure to perform going into the race.
“It’s all about if you want to put yourself under pressure, I don’t do that because I know what I want.
“I go out there and compete, and compete at my best. Win, lose or draw, I’ll always be happy because I know I went out there and gave it my best.”