By Michael Gleeson
Usain Bolt can't remember the last time he was running in February, he is normally in the doctor's hands not the starter's, but he hopes that his farewell year competing in Nitro this week will help set him up to leave the sport in London with three more world champion's gold medals.
Bolt has confirmed he will not compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year and that the London world championships will be his major competition goodbye.
Usain Bolt in Melbourne on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
"I can't remember the last time I ran in February. I don't know. I really can't remember, probably like four years ago," he said. "Normally I am injured so I am normally either in Europe at the doctor or in Jamaica trying to find ways to get back into shape.
"I think to be able to run early in the season is always good … hopefully [it is a good sign for London].
"I can continue training as I think I can at a level I want to. Definitely it will help me to be as close as possible to where I want to be. It would be great to go out as the best running 9.7s, 9.6s."
Bolt still rates the London Olympics as his best championship and wants to leave there with another triple gold.
He recently lost one of his Olympic gold medals – the relay gold from Beijing – after Jamaican teammate Nesta Carter failed a re-test of a sample from the time. He was found to have stimulant in his system which was said to be from a dietary supplement.
Bolt said losing the medal did not change his resolve to succeed in London and leave the sport reconfirmed as a multiple world champion.
"I was always determined for me, I am a winner that's what I do, I go out there and I always want to win," he said.
"What happened with Nesta is unfortunate, it was really hard on me but it is one of those things for me to put that behind me. They are looking to appeal but I put that behind me and focus on Nitro athletics."
Bolt confirmed at the Nitro Gala dinner on Thursday night that the sport needed to be hard in enforcing lifetime bans for deliberate drug cheats but even those who inadvertently cheated needed to be punished to send a message to all athletes about vigilance.
"To make the sport better we have to make life bans serious," he said.
"If an athlete goes out of his way to cheat he should get a life ban … but at the same time I have always said people make mistakes, not mistakes, unfortunate situations, like you should be vigilant – that's a fact, it's your responsibility to make sure if you are going to take a pill you check your check list.
"They should be punished, just remind them that it's their responsibility. You do not get off easy."
The biggest figure in world sport admitted there "will be a gap to be filled" when he retired as people crave athletes who blend performance and personality.
The Nitro series he competes in over three nights in Melbourne, starting on Saturday night at Lakeside Stadium, is aimed at being that exact mix if performance and personality – as focused on fun and entertainment as competition.
"We will definitely be serious, we are athletes so we normally compete at a high level but it makes it a little bit more relaxing because we don't have to stress because we know we have teammates and a points system so we go out there and do our best and even if we can't do our best we know we have someone else out there to back us up. It will be fun."
Bolt is likely to run the 4 x 100 relay on Saturday night, an event that his Bolt All Stars team would be expected to win – by the length of the straight.
He said he seriously considered going on to retire on the Gold Coast but knew he did not have his heart in going on through until next year.
"I was really thinking about it. But just going through this season and just remembering last season I just know that [I] won't have the motivation for one more season for sure," he said.