Usain Bolt claims drugs cheats will ‘kill’ athletics as one of the world’s greatest showmen prepares to hang up his spikes
Jamaican sprint legend will run in the 100 metres and relay in London - bidding to bow out with a golden goodbye
USAIN BOLT has, for the past nine years, been the Greatest Show on Earth.
The curtain might be coming down in ten days’ time on one of the most illustrious sporting careers ever witnessed.
Cheating death - Usain on drugs scandals
USAIN BOLT has sent out a stern warning to cheats, saying they must stop doping or athletics will “die”.
Track and field has been rocked by drugs scandals in recent years, with Russia kicked out of the sport for state-sponsored doping.
Bolt, winner of 11 world titles and eight Olympic golds, said: “Hopefully, athletes will see what’s going on and understand that if they don’t stop what they’re doing, the sport will die.
“I think it hit rock bottom. After the scandal in Russia I don’t think it gets any worse than that.
“There was only one way to go and that was up.”
And yet the laid-back Jamaican still manages to draw the crowds and entertain them in equal measure.
The appetite to see him has not diminished, running or just relaxing.
Yesterday was no different — with Bolt breezing into London for his final media appearance ahead of the World Championships in Stratford.
At a brewery in central London, it was standing room only as the world’s media awaited the presence of the world’s fastest man.
There were even messages of support from several famous fans, such as Idris Elba, Cara Delevingne, Thierry Henry and Virat Kohli.
It is all OTT. But then it always is with Bolt before a major event.
In 2008, leading up to the Beijing Olympics, the then relatively unknown Jamaican sprinter was put on a stage next to singer Paolo Nutini whose hit New Shoes — geddit?? — had been released a year earlier.
most read in athletics
At the 2009 World Championships, a warehouse in Berlin was converted into a Jamaican dance hall.
Two years later, in Daegu, the media were taken to a theatre halfway up a South Korean mountain. And last year at the Rio Olympics he wrapped up the questioning by dancing with samba dancers.
For the final major press conference of his career, London could have also gone overboard.
Instead, it was a relatively low-key affair, with mum Jennifer and dad Wellesley joining him on stage.
The end is in sight but Bolt remains as competitive as ever, declaring himself ready to go on Friday when the 100 metre heats kick off. The final takes place 24 hours later.
Cloud nine - Bolt's incredible record
OF the 30 fastest men’s 100m sprint times of all time, only nine have been run by an athlete who has NOT been banned for drugs — all NINE by Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt.
He said: “At the start of every season I do sit there and think, ‘Am I still fast, am I still unbeatable?’.
“But I know when I show up at a championship I’m confident and ready to go, 100 per cent. On Sunday I want the headlines to say, ‘Unbeatable. Usain Bolt has retired unbeaten over the individual event’.
“I still have the relay and with relays you never know. But, for me, that will be the biggest headline.
“I’m looking forward to it. For some reason again I’m the underdog and my team keep telling me that, so I have to prove myself once more.
“But I thrive on competition. I want other people to run fast so I can prove I’m the best.
“I ran 9.95sec in my last race in Monaco two weeks ago and I’m going forward so I’m not worried. It’s a championships and it’s about who can keep their nerves.
“I’m one of the few athletes who can deal with pressure. It’s ‘let’s go’ time.
“What if I lose? Don’t worry, we won’t have that problem.”
Bolt on pal Germaine's tragic death
USAIN BOLT will dedicate any gold medal to British pal Germaine Mason, who died four months ago.
Mason, who won Olympic high-jump silver at Beijing 2008, died in a motorbike smash in Jamaica in April, with Bolt among the first on the scene.
Bolt had been friends with Mason since they met at the World Juniors in Jamaica in 2002 and was so devastated he could not train.
He said: “It was a rough time. I’ve never had someone so close to me pass away. It set me back a little bit and I didn’t train for three weeks maybe.
“And my coach gave me space, gave me time to get over it.”
The eight-time Olympic gold medallist added: “At some point the close net of people I was with said, ‘Listen Usain, I know it is hard but you need to train again — Germaine would have wanted it’.
“They also told me, ‘He was looking forward to seeing you finish off your legacy’. That really helped me get going again. Now I really want to do it for him and his family and all the friends that supported me.”
Mason was a surprise medallist for Britain in Beijing after being dumped from lottery funding months earlier over poor performances.
But a knee injury then wrecked his career ahead of the 2009 Worlds, where Bolt broke the 100m and 200m world records he had set in Beijing.
Mo Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar could miss London 2017 after claims he had not been issued accreditation to the event, which starts on Friday.
Bolt, 31 later this month, is still the world-record holder over 100m and 200m, having broken his own marks in Berlin in 2009. He hopes his times of 9.58 and 19.19 respectively will last for the rest of his life.
After he finally hangs up his spikes on Saturday, August 12, he insists: “For me, it will be only football.
“I’m waiting for the call from Jose Mourinho. I think he’s waiting until the last day of the championships!”
Follow all the action from the World Athletics Championships in London
MOST READ IN SPORT