Athletics: Bolt vows title defence in Rio

Jamaican athlete, buoyed by the West Indies’ World Twenty20 triumph, declared that cricket was his ‘first love’.

WELLINGTON: Jamaica’s Usain Bolt vowed yesterday to defend his Olympic sprint titles in Rio but, buoyed by the West Indies’ World Twenty20 triumph, declared that cricket was his ‘first love’. Bolt, who said in August that he was considering swapping sprinting for the long jump to provide a fresh challenge ahead of the 2016 Games, said he had decided to defend the titles he won in Beijing and London. “Rio is about going and defending my titles,” Bolt told reporters during a visit to New Zealand. “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 to do the three-peat, which is the focus.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2012.