Bolt Tells World: I Am The Greatest Athlete

Bolt Tells World: I Am The Greatest Athlete

Usain Bolt has declared he is now "a living legend" after winning his second gold medal of the London Games.

The 25-year-old became the first man to retain both the 100m and 200m Olympic titles - the so-called "double-double".

He won the race in 19.32 seconds, ahead of fellow Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Warren Weir.

Bolt, who could win yet another gold in the 4x100m relay, said after the race: "I'm now a living legend, I'm also the greatest athlete to live.

"Now I am going to sit back, relax and think about what's next.

"But I am not ready to retire. I love this sport. The rest of the season I am just going to have fun because I did what I came here to do."

The one man who came close to winning the 200m at two successive Olympic Games was American Carl Lewis.

The former champion claimed gold in the event at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and finished second four years later in Seoul.

In the past Lewis, who has won nine Olympic golds in total, has been quoted as saying Jamaica's doping controls were not as strong as other countries.

More recently, Lewis cast doubt on whether Bolt could achieve the double-double.

So when Bolt was asked at a post-race media conference if he would like to be compared to Lewis or late sprinting great Jesse Owens - the Jamaican lashed out at the American legend.

"I'm going to say something controversial right now. Carl Lewis, I have no respect for him," Bolt said.

"The things he says about the track athletes is really downgrading for another athlete to say something like that. I think he's just looking for attention, really, because nobody really talks much about him.

"That was really sad for me when I heard the other day what he was saying. It was upsetting. I've lost all respect for him. All respect."

Asked which specific comments from Lewis made him angry, Bolt replied: "It was all about drugs. Talking about drugs.

"For me, an athlete out of the sport to be saying that. That was really upsetting for me. Really upsetting.

"To jump up and say something like that. As far as I'm concerned he's looking for attention. That's all."