'Trying to be one of the greatest'

With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games expected to be the last Games for Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprint king spoke elaborately about the legacy he is leaving in the sport, his plans for post-retirement and his place among the greats of sports icons after winning his eighth Olympic gold medal on Thursday night. Here are some of the excerpts from that press conference.

On winning a third consecutive 100m-200m double

I don't need to prove anything else. What else can I do to prove to the world I am the greatest? I am trying to be one of the greatest. Be among [Muhammad] Ali and Pele. I hope after these Games I will be in that bracket.

On his eight gold medals

All of them are special. The 200m is my favourite event. There is a lot of focus. I am relieved.

On how it feels

There are no words to explain. Eight time Olympic Champion. The 200 means a lot more to me and I have been enjoying it.

On the race

I was not pleased with my time. Even if you run a world record you still want to run faster, but my legs decided they aren't having it and I was so tired I lost my form on the last part of the race. But the key thing is that you guys know I won and the only thing that matters is the gold medal.

On how his feats compare to swimmer Michael Phelps

Swimming and track and field are totally different. I wanted to run a faster time but I knew it was going to be difficult to break the world record. My legs decided as I came off the corner that I wasn't going to go any faster. I am happy that I got the gold medal.

On his legacy in the sport

I've just proven to the world that you can do it clean, with hard work and determination. I've made the sport exciting, made people want to watch the sport. I've just put the sport on a different level and put it on a different pedestal.

On what is next for him

I am definitely going to run the 100m and 4x100m [relay] in London [at the World Athletics Championships 2017]. I know my coach will try to convince me to run the 200. We will see what happens.

On the future of the sport

The younger kids have definitely stepped up. [Andre] De Grasse has been on the right track. I have made the sport exciting; I have made people want to see the sport. I have put the sport on a different level."

On what he will do when he retires

I want to stay in the sport, I want to stay around the sport. We will see what happens. Definitely not as a coach though. I don't know what I am going to do; you just stress me out.

On his original Olympic ambitions

When I went to Athens in 2004 I just went there and I didn't go through from the first round. All I wanted to do was run the 200m and win an Olympic gold medal once. So to be the eight-time Olympic gold medallist is a big deal and I've worked hard to be the best.

On his thoughts as he crossed the finish line:

I was saying goodbye. It's my last individual event at the Olympics. In the relays you never know what will happen. So I just wanted to say goodbye.

What they said

Of the 30 fastest 100m times, 21 are by athletes who've tested positive for drugs. The other 9 are all Usain Bolt.

- Scott Timlin

Haven't seen anyone run faster than Usain Bolt since Ryan Lochte.

- Leigh Ellis

Bolt said he would have moved faster if he'd had someone faster in front of him? Who would be in front of him? Quicksilver? Flash?

- Myron Medcalf

Will we ever know how fast ]Bolt can run? Doesn't even have anyone to challenge him.

- Benjamin Watson

Woken up to see Bolt won the 200m. Man is a phenomenon. Not just the sport category, but humans who have ever lived. 

- George Benson