Rio Games to be Bolt's last Olympic tilt

KINGSTON (Jamaica) • Usain Bolt has confirmed that this year's Olympics will be his last, snuffing out the possibility of extending his career to the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The Jamaican sprint king had raised the prospect of prolonging his Olympic career in January, after revealing that his coach Glen Mills had suggested his fitness would carry him through to Japan.

However, Bolt told AFP subsidiary SID in an interview that the curtain would come down on his Olympic career this year in Rio de Janeiro, where he is targeting three more golds.

"It'll definitely be my last Olympics," he said. "It's going to be hard to go four more years for me, to keep the motivation that I want, especially if I accomplish what I want to in Rio.

"It's going to be hard to keep the motivation to go on for four more years, so it'll definitely be my last one."

Bolt, who already has six golds from his stunning performances in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, has repeatedly said that he plans to hang up his spikes for good after the 2017 World Championships in London.

He hopes to take his tally to nine golds by the time the competition in Rio concludes in August.

"My biggest dream at the Olympics is to win three gold medals again. That's my focus, that's what I want. And that's what I'm aiming for because that's my goal and that's my dream," he said.

Bolt reiterated his desire to produce more record-breaking feats before he retires, saying that he is determined to become the first man to go below 19 seconds for the 200m.

"I've said the only big thing, big time I want to run is the 200m," said the Jamaican, who holds the world record of 19.19sec for the 200m, set in Berlin in 2009.

"I'd love to try to go sub-19. That's the only thing I would really, really want because that's one of my goals. I've always talked about and always wanted it so for me, that's something I look forward to."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 23, 2016, with the headline Rio Games to be Bolt's last Olympic tilt. Subscribe