Usain Bolt eager to cement legacy in London as retirement looms at World Athletics Championships

Usain Bolt will not jeopardise his legacy by reversing his decision to retire from athletics after the World Athletics Championships this summer. The Jamaican will take to the track for the final time in London in August, just before his 31st birthday, bringing to an end a career which has seen him tear up the record books.

With eight Olympic titles, 11 World Championship golds and three world records, Bolt has been the most dominant athlete on the planet since he first burst on the scene at Beijing 2008. But amid numerous anti-doping scandals to hit the sport, Bolt has been heralded as the poster boy for a clean generation of athletes.

Despite winning three Olympic golds in Rio, Bolt has been stripped of his status as the 'triple-triple' champion after losing the gold medal won in the 4x100m relay, due to Nesta Carter testing positive for a banned substance.

An appeal has been lodged over the ruling, but Bolt may have to settle for just the eight gold medals during his illustrious career.

And though Bolt has lost the honour of being a nine-time Olympic gold medallist, the episode has not affected his decision to retire. "Everyone wants me to continue but it is not simple," he told BBC Sport. "I've done what I wanted to do. I've done great in the sport."

"People just want to see more and more. But you as a person have to decide that this is it and you don't want to continue and that this is the end. I don't want to start losing, because I hate losing.

"There are no regrets. You look at a lot of top athletes; they used to damage their career just a little bit. By being so dominant through their career, [they] retired, then missed the sport and then come back into the sport for something different. I don't think my coach would coach me either."

Bolt is expected to compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m for the final time at the Olympic Stadium, scene of his first Olympic treble at London 2012. The meet is expected to again be without athletes from Russia, with the International Association of Athletics Federations [IAAF] upholding their ban from Rio Olympics last year.