"You can have the world record, but to me if you don't have the gold medal in the Olympics or world championships, it means nothing. A gold medal is more important to me, especially the Olympic gold medal. Somebody's got to wait four years to beat you. If you're the world record holder, it can be taken at anytime. "
--Usain Bolt (21), from Jamaica, responding to questions following his world-record breaking time of 9.72 seconds in the 100 meters at the Reebok Grand Prix.
Bolt still needs to qualify for the Jamaican Olympic team during the trails on June 24-26. Despite his world record, set on Saturday, May 31, 2008, his speciality (and preferred event) is the 200 meters, so he is unsure of his plans in Beijing. Bolt is the silver medalist in the 200 meters in last year's world championships.
"I think I can be the best in the 200. I want to be the best in the 200," says Bolt.
He beat Asafa Powell, his countryman, breaking the record by .2 of a second, and Tyson Gay. Gay won the 100 and 200 meters in the 2007 world championships, and finished second in this race.
Bolt, is not the favorite for the 100 meters in Beijing at the Olympics. On May 3, ran a 9.76 second 100 meter race, though he is considered too tall (6'5") for the 100 meters.
Excerpts taken from USA Today, 6/2/2008.
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