Bolt vows to 'wow' London Olympics
Usain Bolt is aiming to "wow" the world with his performances at the Olympics.
Bolt got back into the groove on Thursday night with victory in the Rome Diamond League 100metres in 9.76 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year. It was his fourth fastest time ever, with the previous three all world records.
Bolt will draw inspiration from London's Jamaican community during the Olympics, and he warned rivals like Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake that his Italian job was just the start. He said: "I know I can go faster because this is the start of the season. I have a long way to go.
"I'm really looking forward to competing here. I haven't competed in London for a while so I'm really looking forward to it. I know all the Jamaicans living here are looking forward to it also so I'm just preparing to put on a great show. At the end of the day I just want to wow people after this Olympics so I'm looking forward to it."
Bolt was in London on Friday to launch Jamaica's Bob Marley-inspired Puma kit for the Olympics. Asked whether he will need to improve on 9.76secs to win gold, and whether he can go faster, Bolt said: "That's what I do. The season is still early. Everybody is running 9.8 so that's good competition. 9.7 is also good for me.
"I'm happy with the way it is and just want to continue working hard and run faster so I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready to go."
Bolt's performance in Rome put to bed any questions about his form after he ran 10.04secs in Ostrava last week.
"I never doubt my ability, never. People forget, and I keep explaining to people, that athletes have bad days," he said. "Every athlete can - cricket, football, any sport - you have bad days and that was just one of mine and I got past it and now I'm just moving forward."
Bolt decided after Ostrava that he needed a few early nights, which clearly did the trick. His triple Olympic triumph in Beijing was fuelled on a diet of chicken nuggets - but there will be no repeat of that in London.
"The good thing about the fact we are in London is there will be a lot of Jamaican food - the only thing I have to worry about is putting on weight," he said. "There will be no chicken nuggets this year."
