The Olympic champion in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m at the 2008 Beijing Games said on Saturday that if he is fit and if Jamaica can challenge for gold, he wants a place on the 400m team.

“If I can help to get them a gold medal, I will want to go on that team,” Bolt said.

The last male athlete to win four gold medals at the Olympics was Carl Lewis at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, but one of those was in the long-jump.

Bolt said he has already started his Olympic preparations at “high intensity,” fully fit after ending the season with a slight Achilles tendon tweak. Last year, back problems saw him miss part the season.

Running start

Even though Bolt’s official personal best in the 400m is an unimpressive 45.28 seconds, his manager Ricky Simms said he had run a 43-split with a running start in a relay in a minor Jamaica meet two years ago. The individual world record stands at 43.18.

When asked if he wanted to run in the 4×400, Bolt said: “I’ve expressed that to my coach. If I am fit and I think I can do it.

“I definitely would want to try because if I do as well as in Berlin, the 4×4 would top it off and even make it a little bit much better.

“I will probably be in good shape and I know the guys are really stepping up the 400 level in Jamaica.”.

The Olympic schedule looks conducive to an attempt on four golds, since Bolt would only have to run the finals in the relays. After the 100m on August 5, he would not have another final until the last three days of the track schedule from August 9-11.