London, Sep 8 (IANS) Sprint superstar Usain Bolt has cut his season short to begin preparation for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The 29-year-old pulled out of Friday’s Van Damme Memorial in Brussels, noting that he was glad to end his season injury free and saying he would now switch his attention to Olympics, reports CMC.
“I am already thinking about next year and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio,” the Jamaican said on Monday.
He added that he was “happy to end the season without any injuries and ready to go for 2016”.
Bolt will chase history in Rio where he will be seeking to win the sprint double for a third straight Olympics. His early season form raised doubt about this possibility but his performances last month at the Beijing World Championships saw the odds of winning in Rio slashed once again.
After a series of below par performance in the preceding rounds, Bolt streaked to victory in both the 100 and 200 metres, stunning American challenger Justin Gatlin on both occasions. He clocked a season-best 9.79 seconds in 100m and a world-leading 19.55 in 200m.
Bolt also won both sprints at the Moscow World Championships two years ago.
