Usain Bolt: Racing like a thunderbolt to Beijing Olympics

(BEIJING, July 9) -- Usain Bolt, current record holder as the fastest man in the world running the 100-meter race, told an American reporter that he intends to speed across the Olympics racetrack in Beijing to capture a gold medal next month.

Bolt, whose name conjures up images of a lightning bolt racing across the sky, told Sports Illustrated that his height has not hurt his speed.

At 1.96 meters, which is tall for a sprinter, Bolt is thought by some track and field experts as not perfectly cut out for the 100-meter dash. It might take him a little longer to explode out of the blocks, but Bolt said he is fast in every other way.

At the Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York in May of this year, more than 5000 fans witnessed Bolt's stunning performance as he set a new world 100-meter record in 9.72 seconds on the rain-washed track.

That wiped out the previous record of 9.74 seconds, which was set last September by Bolt's compatriot, Asafa Powell.

Hardly anyone expected Bolt to break the world record in New York because it was only his fifth time competing in a professional race in the event. And nobody knew that his participation in the 100-meter dash was triggered by a bet he made with his coach, Glen Mills. When Bolt said he wanted to compete in the 100-meter race, Mills said he could if Bolt first broke the Jamaican record for the 200-meter event.

Bolt was not intimidated by the dare. At the 2007 Jamaican National Track and Field Championships, Bolt set a new national 200-meter record at 19.75 seconds, which was 0.09 second faster than the previous record.

Bolt has said he aims to capture gold in Beijing, but he still doesn't know if he will be competing in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Mills said anything could happen, depending on how preparations go between now and August.

Meanwhile, when asked by Sports Illustrated whether he preferred the 200-meter event, Bolt answered "yes" in the blink of an eye.

After Bolt broke Powell's world record, the relationship between the two runners has become a matter of speculation by the media. Bolt told Sports Illustrated that he and Powell respect each other and are good friends, and that he looks forward to competing with Powell in the Beijing Olympics.

Bolt said that he had already begun running very fast by the age of 15, so that breaking the 100-meter world record was not a surprise for himself or the people around him.

He also revealed that he is now attempting to discipline himself by going to the gym more and to parties less.

At the age of 21, Bolt likes music, dance and having fun. Yet he told Sports Illustrated that it was time for him to focus increasingly on the Olympics and to play less.

But even discipline has its limits. The runner was three hours late for the Sports Illustrated interview, his PR handler said, because Bolt went out the previous night with a few friends