Click photo to enlarge
Usain Bolt, from Jamaica, triple gold medal winner at the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, gestures, during a news
conference ahead of the Golden League track and field
meeting "Weltklasse Zuerich", in Zurich. (AP
Photo/Keystone, Eddy Risch)
After all the Olympic hoopla, Usain Bolt says he just
wants to get back to his day job - running fast.
"Track and field is my job. This is what I do, I work," Bolt
told reporters in Zurich, where he races for the first time
since Beijing in the 100 metres tomorrow.
"Right now I'm just trying to get my blood pumping pretty
much. I've been doing a little bit of training and just
looking forward to the meeting."
The new Olympic champion and world record holder at 100 and
200 landed in Switzerland on Monday, direct from China for
the first of three European meets before he can head back to
an inevitable hero's welcome in Jamaica.
"I know the celebrations will wait till I get home so I'm not
worried," said 22-year-old Bolt, who was serenaded by a crowd
of 91,000 in the Bird's Nest stadium singing "Happy Birthday"
to him last week.
The work promises to be lucrative if Bolt can lower the
9.69-second time he set with ease in the Olympic 100 final.
The Weltklasse meet organizers have offered a world record
bonus of $US50,000 ($NZ72,119) and a one kilogram gold bar
worth around $27,000 ($NZ38,944). Bolt will get another
$16,000 for winning the race, adding up to a potential haul
of $93,000.
"I don't know what time I will run," Bolt said. "I am just
trying to come here and let the fans enjoy my performance.
Because they come here to see a performance." Away from the
track, the 1.96-meter (6-foot-5) world's fastest man cut a
laid-back, languid figure and said he has been catching up on
sleep since arriving in Switzerland.
Coach Glenn Mills said his athlete has been in heavy demand
to attend functions for sponsors, media and the Jamaican
government.
"He hasn't really had time to get rest and training," Mills
said. "But he is still pretty much in good shape and he will
put on a good show on Friday."
As the new superstar of athletics, it is a lifestyle that
Bolt likely will have to get accustomed to while being hailed
by commentators as the man to restore the sport's credibility
and popularity after two decades of doping scandals.
Bolt said he was ready to accept some of the responsibility
to regain the trust of fans.
