PARIS, France, July 5- Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt has a gold medal haul like no other but the global superstar says he is far from finished yet.
Three golds from the London Olympics in the 100, 200 and 4x100m relay mirrored his success in the Beijing Games of 2008.
In between he nailed a gold treble at the 2009 Berlin world championships and also won two golds in Daegu in 2011, a false start in the 100m putting paid to another clean sweep.
He holds the world records in the 100 and 200m (9.58 and 19.19sec, both set in Berlin), and was part of the record-breaking Jamaican relay squad (36.84sec in London Olympics).
But now the 26-year-old, who will race the 200m at the Paris leg of the Diamond League at the Stade de France on Saturday, has his sights set on further “dominating” the sport.
“I want to dominate sprinting until the Rio Games,” said Bolt.
“To dominate the competition, remain the best despite all these young, ambitious sprinters appearing on the scene, all wanting to beat me.
“I remember asking (US track legend) Michael Johnson the year he retired from sport what he thought of his career. He explained to me his pride at having been able to dominate his sport all the way to the end. My objective is the same.”
Bolt explained that a love of “competition” was key to his motivation.
“I still get just as much of a kick out of it. The more I run in competition, the more I want to surpass myself,” he said.
“My challenge over the next three years will be to go right to the end of the Olympiad whilst remaining at the top. To achieve that, I’m going to have to maintain the same level of performance season after season. I’m ready for it though. I’m working towards that every single day.”
Bolt said that with this season’s world championships being held from August 10-18 in Moscow, top-class races were essential, “to find out where I’m at so as I can place myself in relation to the others and, most importantly, in relation to myself”.
His performance in the Jamaican trials had given him confidence for the remainder of the season in the build-up to the worlds.
“In the 100, the second part of the race, the last 60 metres, was good,” he said.
“I’m feeling better and better with every performance. Competition fires up my motivation again and enables me to get into a rhythm.”
Bolt will be up against French hope Christophe Lemaitre over the 200m, with Grenada’s world champion Kirani James racing the 400m.
Other stand-out athletes on show in a stellar field include 110m hurdles world record holder Aries Merritt, world pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie, double Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, and Ethiopia’s multiple medal-winning Tirunesh Dibaba in the 5,000m.
Returning Croat Blanka Vlasic will again lock horns with Russian Ana Chicherova in the women’s high jump.
