AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND // Usain Bolt will be aiming for a three-peat of Olympic sprint titles in the 100 and 200 metres at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games rather than trying out a new event.
After Bolt became the first man to successfully defend both sprint titles at the London Olympics, he was coy about his prospects of competing in Rio. There was speculation he would switch to the long jump or 400m for a new challenge.
However, during a promotional visit to New Zealand on Monday, the self-declared "living legend" said that his plan for 2016 "is all about just going and defending my titles".
"I don't want to try any different events at Rio, because at Rio I will just defend my titles to show the world that there is a possibility that I can do it again," Bolt, who won the 100m and 200m and helped Jamaica win the 4x100m relays at Beijing and London, told a news conference. "The three-peat. That's the focus - there's not going to be any different event."
The 26-year-old Bolt was under intense pressure from Yohan Blake heading into the London Olympics after losing to his training partner at the Jamaican selection trials.
But he vowed to deliver his best when it counted most and showed with his commanding runs in London just how far ahead of the competition he can be when he is in peak form.
Bolt has the world record in the 100m and 200m and wants to go even faster.
He will return to training later this month and turn his attention immediately to the world championships next year in Moscow. "I continue to work hard, continue staying focused and pushing myself, so for me that's the focus right now," he said. "I don't know how fast I can go but I definitely try to go faster each year. I enjoy being challenged all the time."
Bolt said he was taken aback slightly by a vigorous Maori haka performed to welcome him to New Zealand. Bolt watched, enthralled, as 350 workers from an Auckland factory performed the traditional challenge.
He told the workers, "you scared me a little bit. It looks like something I'd like to do, but we'll see."
* Agencies
