Usain Bolt declares himself the “greatest athlete”

Usain Bolt declared himself "the greatest athlete" ever after winning an Olympic sprint double. "I'm a living legend," Bolt said, after becoming the first man to successfully defend both 100m and 200m Olympic titles. Daley Thompson, a two-time Olympic champion and a legend himself, said: "Usain Bolt always said he wanted to be a legend, and in order to do that he had to do the double double. I guess the legend continues. He's still quite easily the best and he could be for as long as he wants. I suspect he is going to lack a little bit of motivation, because he likes doing the other things. In the last few years our sport would have sunk without a trace without him. We all owe him a debt of gratitude because he's bringing the people in." Before Thursday's 200m final Bolt had suggested he could break his own world record of 19.19 seconds. He didn't succeed but he doesn't give up either: "I was fast but I wasn't fit enough. I am not ready to retire. I love this sport." Jamaica completed a clean sweep in the 200m, with Yohan Blake winning silver and Warren Weir getting the bronze medal behind Bolt. "We pushed each other and we're happy," Bolt said after the race. "I'm now a living legend," he added. "Now I am going to sit back, relax and think about what's next. I don't know what I really want to do after this, whether to run the 100 or 200 or try something else. I need to find a goal that's going to motivate me to great things. The rest of the season I am just going to have fun because I did what I came here to do. I came here and I gave it my all and I'm proud of myself."