Will Usain Bolt really make Rio de Janeiro his last Olympics?
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt crosses the finish line ahead of France’s Jimmy Vicaut to clinch a victory for Jamaica’s 400-meter relay team at the IAAF world championships in Beijing on Aug. 29.
Usain Bolt is favored to three-peat in the 100 and 200 meters at the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics.
The question is: Will those be his last Games?
The 29-year-old Jamaican superstar has insisted this week that he won’t compete too far past Rio de Janeiro.
“It’s going to be hard to go four more years for me, to keep the motivation that I want, especially if I accomplish what I want to in Rio,” Bolt was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.
But he has given mixed signals in the past. Numerous times, he has vowed to retire after the 2017 world championships. Earlier this year, he backtracked by telling a television interviewer that he might try to keep running until Tokyo in 2020.
Unexpected disappointment in Rio could also factor into his plans.
Bolt is the only man to win the 100 and 200 in back-to-back Olympics and also has two golds in the relays. He has struggled with injuries in recent seasons.
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