London: Being the fastest man in the world isn't enough for Usain Bolt. He wants to be the next Michael Jordan. Oh, and a worldwide restaurant chain owner, too. They are pretty lofty ambitions for a man who calls himself "lazy".
And before he does all that, he's got a few aims left in the world of sprinting. One of them is to send his world 100 metres record of 9.58 seconds tumbling down to 9.4 seconds — the figure that he feels is the lowest possible time that any human being can manage.
These are exhilarating times for Bolt. It's no wonder he thinks the world is at his feet — a mere size 13, in case you were wondering.
He believes this is the most exciting era in the history of sprinting. And his own success has helped make it such a golden period.
Bolt will be the star attraction when the Olympics come to these shores in two years with audiences eagerly anticipating more shows of his iconic celebration.
When he meets Sportsmail, he is wearing a T-shirt with a picture of his famous pose emblazoned on it. "It's on my clothing line," he explains enthusiastically.
Reaching out
"I look at it [the celebration] as a chance to reach out. Michael Jordan also has his own sign. His brand is a big brand and hopefully my brand can become as big. I want to do as much as I can in my sport, and for my sport, and then go into business. I've just started a restaurant chain in Jamaica and I'm trying to bring it to different places."
True, his instantly recognisable celebration is distinctive and globally renowned. It's a brilliant marketing tool. But he must get sick of performing the pose, though? "They always ask me to do it. It depends on what mood I'm in. I think it's really silly that, if you do it once, then everybody wants you to do it for them," he says, before adding with a laugh: "It's kind of tiring to keep doing the pose all day".
His wide grin is symbolic of his easy-going manner. Bolt is a triple world and Olympic gold medallist. But sitting alongside him on a sofa and chatting feels like being next to any other laid-back, fun-loving 24-year-old.
Bolt's body language suggests, ironically, that he's a man in no hurry. Physically, he is imposing — muscular and 1.96 metres tall. But he is every inch a gentle giant — smiling, joking and engaging in conversation. His charm was apparent at his book signing in London when punters queued for nearly two hours before the start time.
He's not afraid to make big statements either, which shows when he speaks about 100 metre records.
"I would say it can go to 9.4 and I hope that I'm the person that can bring it there. Anything is possible. A lot of people didn't think that I'd come along. So you never know. When you least expect it, people can pop up."
With Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell beating him in the last two years, Bolt has hailed the intense competition by claiming this era is the most exciting ever. He backed up his case by referring to the depth of sprinting talent around these days.
Competition
"Look at my fellow Jamaicans. Nesta Carter just ran 9.8. Yohan Blake ran 9.8. [Frenchman] Christophe Lemaitre became the first white guy to run under 10 seconds. It shows that the competition is really stepping up."
You can reel off as many other names as you like but sadly, Usain, you're always going to get asked about Gay and Powell.
Then again, he doesn't seem to mind the media hype that surrounds his battles with the two. "It's fun," says Bolt. "It's good for the sport when you guys focus on what people want to see. Sport is boring when there is no competition."
"Back in the day, people used to play mind games — but it's more about competition now. We play mind games a little bit, but not so much. Me and Asafa are really very good friends. We talk a lot. We are fellow Jamaicans so we are cool. Me and Tyson just talk in competition when we see each other."
Gatlin
Hopes dashed
Former Olympic 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin looked understandably stunned after the clock showed he had clocked 9.81 seconds at a meeting in Padua on Friday.
The 28-year-old American, who returned to action last month after a four-year ban, had predicted he might run under 10 seconds. He had not, though, expected to set the third-fastest time of the year.
A report on the Italian athletics federation's website (www.fidal.it) said Gatlin's scepticism was justified when the time was later adjusted to a more realistic 10.15.
Gatlin, who tested positive for the male sex hormone in 2006, has an official personal best of 9.85 but also clocked 9.77, which was later annulled.
— Reuters
