PARIS, (Reuters) – Usain Bolt knows he has been short of his very best form since returning from injury and is keen to be more like his true self when running the 200 metres at the Paris Diamond League meeting tomorrow.
The Jamaican faces Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre at the Stade de France aiming to run 19.75 seconds, still well short of his world record 19.19, as he prepares for the defence of his 100 and 200m titles at the Daegu world championships from Aug. 27-Sept.4.
A back injury forced him to cut short his 2010 season and he has since been feeling his way back, although major rival Tyson Gay will miss out on the upcoming worlds through injury.
“I can’t get complacent because Tyson Gay has dropped out. I’m working hard, I’m working back from injury so my focus is trying to get back to the Usain Bolt everybody knows and loves and for me, my goal is just to defend my title,” Bolt told reporters. “I’ve said that I want to become a legend in the sport and I think if I defend both my titles back to back it will make me one. Only a few have done that so for me, that’s my aim, that’s my goal this season.”
Other top names in action in the French capital tomorrow include women’s 800m world champion Caster Semenya and Cuban 110m hurdles Olympic champion Dayron Robles.