Bolt happy to prove his doubters wrong

LONDON – Usain Bolt said the motivation to prove his doubters wrong had helped propel him to his second Olympic 100m title in 9.63sec but that he would not be a “legend” until he had also won the 200m.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012
American bronze medallist Justin Gatlin (left) can only look on with envy as Jamaicau2019s Usain Bolt (right) rewrites Olympic history. Net photo.

LONDON – Usain Bolt said the motivation to prove his doubters wrong had helped propel him to his second Olympic 100m title in 9.63sec but that he would not be a "legend” until he had also won the 200m.Bolt said his electrifying run, in which all the field bar the injured Asafa Powell went under 10 seconds, was further proof that he always delivered on the biggest stage. "When it comes to the championship, it’s all about business. It’s what I do,” said Bolt. "The reason it’s sweeter is because a lot of you guys doubted me. I’m showing the world I’m the greatest and I’m going to show up on the day.”Bolt admitted that he got off to a shaky start – and still managed to finish in an Olympic record time that has only been bettered by his own world record. "My start wasn’t the best. But my coach had already explained to me not to worry about the start. I came with one goal. The last 50m is where I shine.”The Jamaican beat his friend and compatriot Yohan Blake by 12-hundredths of a second but paid tribute to him for giving him a "wake-up call” when he beat him in the Jamaica trials in the 100m and 200m. "I’ve told Yohan Blake that I’m not going to have him beat me again. The trials woke me up. Yohan gave me a wake-up call,” Bolt said. "He knocked on my door and said, ‘Usain, this is Olympic year, wake up’. After that I refocused and got my head in the game.”Jamaica’s sprinting phenomenon, who has faced persistent questions about his fitness in the run-up to the Games, said that a back injury that troubled him earlier in the season no longer worried him.There was no showboating from one of the world’s greatest showmen, out of respect for the depth of talent in the field. "I just ran. I ran my hardest and ran through the line,” he said.Bolt said he had been criticised after his 100m victory in Beijing because he had not beaten Tyson Gay but that no one could say the same about London."It was one of the greatest races of all time. The field is a championship field,” Bolt said. "After Beijing people were saying it was because Tyson wasn’t there so I had to go and beat him in the world champs the next year. To have the four next best in the world, it was an honour to go out and compete.”Agencies