KINGSTON, (Reuters) – Usain Bolt, the 100 and 200 meters Olympic champion and world record holder, has ruled out running for three individual golds at the 2012 London Games.
Reports earlier this week suggested organisers could rearrange the schedule to allow Jamaican Bolt to defend his 100 and 200 titles, as well as run in the 400 in London.
But Bolt, who also picked up a gold medal as part of Jamaica’s record-breaking 4×100 team in Beijing last August, rejected any possibility of running the three individual events.
“I never actually said that I could run three events, because that’s a lot of load and I really doubt whether I can do that,” Bolt told Reuters at the launch of his track club in the Jamaican capital late on Tuesday.
“I don’t think that I could do that at one track meet, so somebody got it wrong along the line. I may be doing 100 and 200, or 200 and 400, but not all three.”
The 22-year-old is the main attraction at the Racers Track Club, which lists his coach Glen Mills as founder and president.
The club, which coaches athletes for the 100, 200, 400 and 400 hurdles, has 23 athletes on its roster, including two female sprinters.
It has attracted athletes from around the Caribbean as well as from as far away as Gambia and South Africa.
Bolt said the club would “do wonders” for Jamaica and that Mills would push the athletes to great things.
“I know a few of them come prepared every day to win, some are here because of me, but they are targeting me and want to beat me, which is something that I welcome and I look forward to them coming here,” Bolt said.
