Amid doping issues surrounding his fellow athletes, Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt has admitted that he had experimented and used drugs, but as a youngster and only pot. Bolt, hailed as the sprint King in the recently concluded 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with three gold medals and record times, was interviewed by the German tabloid and was quoted as saying that having grown up in Jamaica, it was but natural for him to learn how to roll a joint. He was quick to add though that he was really young at that time, and experimenting with the recreational drug was more of the norm in Jamaica than the exception. But that he said, is all in the past.

Bolt stressed that he has been “clean” for a long time, even avoiding associating with people who smoke as part of his stict athletic training. Bolt, who is seen as the next most successful sprinter in the World, also took the opportunity to quell allegations that he was taking steroids or other performance enhancing substances during the 2008 Olympics. He defended himself against critics by saying that he was made to undergo between 30 and 40 anti doping tests during the Olympic year, and all of them have tested negative for any banned or illegal substances.

The Jamaican sprint king remained optimistic however that his true friends and supporters will not believe these nasty rumors floating around the press. Bolt further said that people can and will always say what they want, but deep down inside he knows he’s clean, and at the end of the day that’s what matters.

The 22-year old native of Trelawny Jamaica is the current holder of both the Olympic and world record for the 100 metres and 200 metre events. Bolt clocked at 9.69 seconds and 19.30 seconds respectively. Moreover, Bolt led his teammates to victory in the 4×100 metres relay with a record time of 37.10 seconds. All of these record times were set during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Such a feat has never been since since Carl Lewis in the 1984 Olympic Games - winning all three events in one Olympic Game. Because of his remarkable perfomance, he fast became the media and crowd favorite, earning the nickname “Lightning Bolt“.

Bolt entered the professional league in 2004, but spent the first two season nursing injuries. His performance was not impressive enough too, missing the first round of the 200m heat in the 2004 Olympics. But by 2008, Bolt was back with a vengeance. In May that year, Usain Bolt set a 9.72 second time in the 100 metre event, a personal best over his 9.76 second time; this was a new world record. Bolt says he will strive to do a repeat of his triple gold-winning feat in the Olymics when he competes at the World Athletics Championships this August. The competition will be held in Berlin, Germany.

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