Bolt says 200-meter world record now likely beyond him
MONACO — The world’s fastest man is slowing down.
Usain Bolt again said he doesn’t plan to run the 200 metres in his final season, realizing that his world record of 19.19 seconds is now likely beyond him.
Speaking Friday in Monaco before picking up the IAAF’s male athlete of the year award for a sixth time, the 30-year-old Bolt said he thought he could dip under the 19-second barrier at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But coming off the bend in the final, he felt his legs didn’t have a record-beating performance in them.
“After last season, I kind of figured out that no matter how hard I work at this point, it probably is going to be hard to get the 200-meter world record,” Bolt said. “And it’s a lot more work and for me, coming to the end of my career, I’m not trying to do too much work.”