Usain Bolt to use Rome meet as a test of his Olympic preparations

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. PHOTO/File

Usain Bolt will run the 100 meters at the Golden Gala in Rome again this year as he prepares to defend three sprint titles at the London Olympics three months later.

Organizers of the May 31 meet announced the Jamaican’s participation on Thursday.

“I’m training hard, the offseason has been good. Everything is going according to plan. The aim is to defend my Olympic titles in London,” Bolt said in a statement provided by Rome organizers. “Rome’s race will be a good early season test and tell me what I need to do on the way to the Olympic Games.”

Bolt made his season debut in Rome last year, winning the 100 in 9.91 seconds to narrowly beat former world record-holder Asafa Powell.

Bolt has also confirmed he will run the 100 at another Diamond League meet in Oslo on June 7.

Rome is the first European meet of the Diamond League season, which opens in Doha, Qatar on May 11. Another meet is scheduled in Shanghai on May 19, then Rome is the third stop.

Heats for the 100 at the London Games begin August 4.

At the 2008 Beijing Games, Bolt swept the 100 and 200 sprints and helped Jamaica to gold in the 4×100 relay, all in world-record times. He then improved his 100 (9.58 seconds) and 200 (19.19 seconds) records at the 2009 world championships in Berlin.

At last year’s worlds in Daegu, South Korea, Bolt was eliminated from the 100 final for a false start but he then won the 200 in 19.40 and helped Jamaica to another world record (37.04 seconds) in the relay.

Bolt has said he also wants to run the 4×400 in London and become the first male athlete since Carl Lewis at the 1984 Los Angeles Games to win four gold medals in track and field at the Olympics.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.