Usain Bolt is a clear favorite on the track at the Olympics this summer in London. He’s already run the best time in the 100 meters (9.76 seconds) this year and currently holds the world record (9.58). But when it comes to setting a new world’s best mark at the Games, Bolt naturally thinks he’s the man to do it.
And not simply break the record. He wants to shatter it.
“Everybody has been talking about this 9.4 all season,” Bolt told CNN. “If it’s possible, I’ll be the one to run 9.4.
“After my trials leading up to the Olympics, then it depends on where my fitness is. If everything goes well, I can determine, how fast I think I can go.”
Bolt added that track conditions will be a significant factor. And given that it’s London, weather on race days will be crucial for times. But leave it to Bolt, one to never shy away from bravado, to calmly speak about running a mind-blowing 9.4 seconds like it’s no big deal.
Bolt ran a world-record 9.58 at the World Championships in 2009. That time bested the previous mark of 9.69, which he broke at the 2008 Olympics. And if you have any doubts that he can top a 9.4, remember he notoriously let up early in Beijing to start celebrating before he crossed the finish line and still managed to set a world record.
And even the best in the world still can get better in four years’ time.
Note: This post also appeared on Yardbarker’s Medal Detector
Photo: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE
