Bolt: “In Rome to win”

Next Thursday is going to be another memorable day on the Olympic Stadium track in Rome where triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt will run for the second time in his career in the Eternal city. Last year he edged Asafa Powell by 0.02 in 9.91 to 9.93 with Christophe Lemaitre third in 10.00. This year the three sprinters will square off again in the historic Olympic Stadium in what is expected to be another memorable head-to-head battle in front of the huge crowd who will fill the stands of the stadium which was venue to the Olympic Games in 1960. Bolt talked to the media representatives from all over the world who gathered at the Ata Hotel, the official Hotel of the Compeed Golden Gala. The Jamaican super star will run his third race of the season after 9.82 in Kingston and 10.04 last Friday in Ostrava.

Why did you run so slowly in Ostrava ?
“For me it’s not a worry. It is not possible to run very fast every time. In Ostrava I had a bad day but I want to put that race behind me. This race will not affect my race on Thursday”.
Did you talk with your coach about what happened in Ostrava?
“We talked each other about the race. We have analysed every detail of the race. In Ostrava my legs did not feel very energetic"
Do you think the false start in Daegu has affected you?
“I just false started in Daegu but I am continuing to work hard  and I am getting better on starts. In athletics it’s all about dedication, setting high standards and keeping the focus on working hard".
How can you explain that other athletes were not brilliant in  Ostrava?
 “You cannot come and win every day. I am never worried. There are days in which you don’t perform well but we are all human beings. This happens in every sport.”
How do you compare with the same period of the year four years ago when you broke the world record in New York?
“You cannot expect the same situation happens in different meetings. My coach knows the standard to achieve with the  goal to win the Olympic Games.”
What do you want to achieve at this year’s Golden Gala?
“It’s all about execution. My goal is to execute properly. My coach will film the race and we will analyse what went wrong and what went well".
What did you feel last year in Rome when you ran for the first time in this meeting?
“I felt nervous because it was my first race. I felt relieved that I remained injury-free. It was a good race.”
What do you expect to run ?
“Asafa Powell proved that the Rome track is very fast many times and I am looking forward to running here. 9.7 is always a good time to achieve but you cannot predict what can happen".
Do you feel that running 10.04 in Ostrava is positive because it reminds you to push hard to break the 10 seconds barrier?
“You are never happy to run 10 seconds but you cannot stress too much on that. I am confident in myself as my coach knows exactly what to do. I would never worry even if I lost all the races before the Olympic Games. I enjoy my job and I don’t try to change my routine just because it’s the Olympic year.”
What do you think about Christophe Lemaitre?
“Christophe is a great person. He does not talk too much but has the right persons around him. I think that he is trained by a great coach and he will become one of the best sprinters”
A lot of athletes said the track stadium in the London Olympic stadium is very fast. Does this give you confidence that you cannot run fast?
“The track is going to be fast. I am definitely looking forward to running in London. There are amny strong rivals but I have a plan with my coach which leads up to the Olympic Games. Before the Olympic Games I will run both the 100 and the 200 metres at the Jamaican Trials.”

At the end of the press conference Bolt, a keen music fan and himself a disc-jockey, received a special CD as a present from Marco Giannetti, Marketing Director of the Johnson and Johnson SpA, which is the official title sponsor of the meeting through its brand Compeed.

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