I am always number one, says defiant Bolt

Jamaican sprint legend wins the London Diamond League on comeback

LONDON: Usain Bolt insists he is still king of the sprinters after returning from injury with back-to-back 100m times of 9.87 seconds at the London Diamond League meeting.

Asked if his winning performances proved that he was still the world’s number one, the 28-year-old Jamaican replied defiantly,  “I was never number two. I am still number one. I will continue being number one. Until I retire, that’s the plan.”

Bolt clearly has room for improvement before he defends his 100m and 200m titles at the world championships in Beijing, which begin on August 22, on the Bird’s Nest track where he won his first trio of Olympic gold medals (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay) in 2008.

Read: In Bolt’s absence…: Gatlin, Gay and Powell to battle it out

Having drastically improved on his one previous 100m time of the year — 10.12sec in Rio de Janeiro in April — Bolt said that his two London performances had set him up nicely for the world championships.

For Bolt’s close friend, Mo Farah, returning to the track where he won gold at the 5,000m and 10,000m for the host nation at the 2012 Olympics proved to be a tonic after the furore caused by doping allegations levelled against his coach Alberto Salazar last month.

The 32-year-old Briton won the 3,000m in 7min 34.66sec, the fastest time in the world this year and a personal best, and said that Bolt’s winning return had inspired him.

Read: Bolt makes Relays debut to set up season against Gatlin

“He is a legend of the sport,” said Farah. “We take it for granted what he does. To achieve what he has and to keep winning is incredible. When he retires, it is then that we will realise how good he was.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.