Usain Bolt: Rio 2016 will ‘definitely be my last Olympics’
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World record holder Usain Bolt has decided that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will be his final Summer Games, he tells the Agence France Presse.
“It'll definitely be my last Olympics,” Bolt said. “It's going to be hard to go four more years for me, to keep the motivation that I want, especially if I accomplish what I want to in Rio.”
In a January interview with a Jamaican television station, he said that his coach, Glen Mills would not rule out competing at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
Bolt will turn 30 at the 2016 Olympics closing ceremonies in Rio. There is a chance that he would continue to compete through the 2017 IAAF World Championships, which are set to take place in London.
Bolt holds the world record in the 100-meter dash (9.58 seconds) and 200-meter dash (19.19). He has pulled off the treble at the last two Olympics and world championships with gold medals in the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4x100-meter relay.
• Timeline of Usain Bolt and his retirement talk
In Rio de Janeiro, Bolt is looking to become the first man to win three gold medals in the 100-meter dash. He is currently tied with Carl Lewis at two medals in the event. If he wins three more gold medals, he will have nine Olympic titles, which has only been accomplished by Paavo Nurmi and Lewis on the track.
Bolt is the only man to win two gold medals in the 200-meter dash at the Olympics.
Despite a slow start to his 2015 campaign, Bolt ultimately reigned supreme over American Justin Gatlin and won the 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing last August.
- Christopher Chavez
