By Gary Smith, World-Track
PARIS — Usain Bolt has revealed his 19.59 seconds in Lausanne was achieved without any serious 200m training and his bracing for something special once the time comes around for the World Championships in Berlin next month.
Running on a soaked track in 60-degrees weather with a slight headwind, Bolt ran the fourth fastest time in history and second best this year behind the impressive American Tyson Gay’s 19.58.
The performance was superb, but he is expecting better.
"I have not yet started 200m training yet! Between now and Berlin it’s going to be REALLY intense training,” he said during a press conference for Friday’s Meeting Areva, the fourth ÅF Golden League meeting for 2009.
"That’s why I ran so fast in Lausanne as if I had gone any slower then I knew that coach (Glen Mills) would have made the training I’m going to be doing after London (24/25 July) even more intense."
The triple Olympic champion and world record holder will race over the 100m against a solid field and he said he was ready to produce something special for the crowd which is scheduled to be huge.
“I’m looking forward to it and if the weather is good like today (sunny, 23c) there should be something special.”
When asked by journalists how special? He echoed: “Something special!”
“I have come here to show them (the crowd) a good time, to show them a personality, to give them entertainment.”
“I feed off the energy of the crowd.”
Gay sent a strong warning that he will be ready for whatever the Jamaican plants in Berlin, with a personal best equalling 9.77 in Rome, on his way to dismissing former world record holder Asafa Powell, who ran 9.88.
But despite acknowledging the performance was remarkable, the 22-year-old Bolt said his confident has not dented.
“My coach and I didn’t really talk about that race” Gay ran in Rome.
“He just asked me what time am I going to run here in Paris, so he obviously is very confident in me and what I can run.”
“But I’m always a confident person, that’s the most important thing on the track.”
Bolt is not even worried about losing.
“Even if I lose there is no breaking that confidence. I always just analyse my race and bounce back.”
“My coach told me ‘you have to learn how to lose before you can learn how to win’.”
“And I don’t fear any athlete whatever time they run.”
