Rio Olympics 2016: Usain Bolt wants to 'be among Ali and Pele'

Usain Bolt hopes his history-making performances in Rio will ensure he is ranked alongside Muhammad Ali and Pele in the pantheon of sporting greats.

Four days removed from becoming the first man to win three consecutive Olympic 100-meter gold medals, Bolt repeated the trick Thursday by comfortably winning the 200 final in a time of 19.78 seconds, ahead of Canada's Andre De Grasse and France's Christophe Lemaitre.

Following his latest triumph, which keeps him on course for an unprecedented 'triple-triple' of sprint success — with the 400 still to come — the Jamaican reiterated he was unlikely to compete at 200 meters again at a major championship. But he did express his joy at claiming an eighth Olympic crown.

"I don't need to prove anything else. What else can I do to prove to the world I am the greatest?" Bolt said. "I am trying to be one of the greatest, be among Ali and Pele.

"I hope after these Games I will be in that bracket."

Asked whether he was likely to race in the 200 meter at next year's World Championships in London, his scheduled swan song, Bolt told the BBC: "I think I'll only do the 100 meters. I definitely feel like that will be the last (200m) for me.

"My coach has a way of trying to convince me, but personally I think this is my last one."

While Bolt was happy to win his eighth gold, he was unhappy that he could not threaten his world record of 19.19 seconds on Thursday.

"I wasn't happy with the time," he added, with his trademark grin. "I ran hard off the turn but when I came into the straight it was like my body would not respond to me.

"It's just the rounds. I'm getting older. I'm not as young and fresh, but it's just one of those things. I'm just excited I got the gold medal, that's the key thing."

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