PUMARUNNING.com

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt secured the top spot of the world rankings with his performance at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston. In the press conference following the event he offered the following insights.

On his 200m win in 20.25 ahead of runner-up Steve Mullings (20.40) and Marvin Anderson (20.63) in third place:

“There were a lot of fast guys behind me so I ran the corner pretty hard and then I came off and saw where I was and shut it down. I was a little bit tired because I am not really in the best shape but I’m okay.”

After winning the 100m over rival Asafa Powell on Saturday, Bolt declared that American world champion Tyson Gay has little chance of breaking his world record.

“No disrespect to Tyson, but that is going to be a hard task for him. Tyson is more of a 200 runner than a 100 runner so it is going to be very hard.”

Reflecting on the Jamaican Championships, Bolt said:

“It was a good time.” (not sure if he was referring to his finishing times - or that he had fun.)

“I’m a little tired, but I’m okay. I really have to buckle down. I still have a lot of work to do but I am getting there.”

Beijing was when he was in his best shape. “I’m probably a little bit back, compared to that,” he said. “It’s day by day, but I am ready to do it. It is great to go and defend your title. That would be a great feat for me. I want to be a legend and if I am going to be a legend that would be a milestone for me. I am hoping by Berlin [World Championships] I will be 100 per cent. I don’t want to peak before and I try to work towards it race by race.”

He finished the press interview with this teaser. “You can always expect great things from me. I go out there to perform at my best.”

His final thought was delivered with a small laugh. “I’m hoping I can break a few more records this season.”