Bolt rues doping scandals, relishes Gatlin rivalry

Reluctantly thrust into the role of his sport’s saviour amid an avalanche of doping claims, Usain Bolt has insisted he is in good shape to beat his twice banned rival Justin Gatlin at the world championships.
Just as in London before an Anniversary Games at which he underlined the fact he should not be written off despite Gatlin’s sizzling form, the Jamaican emphasised his belief that he remains the man for the big occasion.
“I’m at my best, that’s all I can say. I’m in great form, I’m happy with where I’m at,” he said of his return to the Bird’s Nest stadium, where he shocked the world at the 2008 Olympics by winning gold in the 100m and 200m. “I’ve been running good, my start has come together at the right time, I’m happy so I’m ready to go.”
Although he again refused to be drawn on the dark doping past of his main rival in the 100m and 200m, who has won 27 successive races and holds the fastest time in the world this season, Bolt admitted it is sad the issue has inevitably dominated the run-up to the sport’s showpiece.
“It’s really taking centre stage – all I’ve been hearing over the past couple of weeks is just doping, doping, doping. All the questions, the majority of the questions are about doping also,” said Bolt, looking momentarily downcast. “It’s sad it’s at the forefront of a world championships and not about the competition that’s coming up ahead. For me it’s sad.”
If the Beijing organisers, not to mention his Puma backer, were hoping that Bolt would cut through the gloom with his trademark swagger they were to be disappointed. All the usual accoutrements for a pre-championships Bolt press conference were present and correct: massed ranks of global media, copious Puma branding, a carefully stage-managed set-up, even a question about chicken nuggets to hark back to his famous victories here at the 2008 Olympics. But despite Bob Marley on the stereo and the best efforts of Colin Jackson as MC, the usual Bolt feelgood factor was hard to locate.
Perhaps that is partly because there is so much uncertainty over his form, despite the 9.87sec he ran at a rain-soaked Anniversary Games, but it is mainly because of the oppressive air of the doping allegations that have settled over athletics like Beijing smog.
Bolt, perhaps second favourite for the first time since his 2008 emergence, remains reluctant to be cast in the role of the sport’s saviour, standing up to the unrepentant bogeyman Gatlin. It is perhaps telling that neither his USA team nor his sponsor, Nike, have put the fastest man in the world this year before the press.

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“The rules are there and the rules are there for a reason, if the rules say he can get banned and he can get back in the sport, I can’t really do anything about it,” said Bolt of Gatlin, who has served two two-year bans but continues to insist he has never knowingly taken a banned substance.
“That’s not my call. He’s still going to line up and I still have to compete against him. For me I abide by the rules and that’s pretty much all,” said Bolt. “I don’t try to worry about what problem it causes or anything, because I still have to compete. I just focus on competing and getting things done.”
The moral maze in which athletics remains lost was further underlined by the fact that Bolt’s warm-up act was Asafa Powell, who has been named Jamaica’s team captain despite his own doping ban. “For me, I am running for myself. That’s what I do. People say I need to win for my sport. I’m here,” added Bolt. “There are a lot of other athletes running clean and have run clean throughout their career. It’s a responsibility of all the athletes to show that they save the sport. It’s not only on me but all the athletes.”
Bolt turns 29 on Friday, the day before he lines up at the Bird’s Nest, but any celebrations will have to wait. He plans an early night. “I’m sure somebody will get me a cake, maybe just a muffin,” he said. “I think one thing I’ve noticed is you have to sacrifice a lot more the older you get.
“It’s not as easy as one time, I’ve really had to sacrifice a lot more, it’s not like one time where I could say I could take these three months and prepare and I would be OK. Now I have to really put my all into training and make sure I’m on top of things.”
As Sebastian Coe prepares to take over as leader of his embattled sport, he will be only too aware that even Bolt, who has carried athletics on his shoulders for seven years, cannot go on for ever.
Reflecting on his excitement at returning to Beijing, Bolt pondered how he had changed since his 2008 double, which included that stunning 200m world record. But despite his difficulties earlier this season – when the sprinter was hampered by what he described as a “slight joint problem that was not allowing me to get enough power in my legs and causing me to run slow” – he is not quite ready to relinquish his crown yet.
“Competition is competition. It’s always who is in the best form and who executes well,” he said. “All I need to do now is execute.”

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