Sprinter eager to see who’s next champ

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic — Usain Bolt is curious as to who will replace him as the world’s fastest man.

He’s confident nobody will know at his last major race, the world championships in August in London.

Bolt was unperturbed when asked Monday whether he fears he will lose his last race before retirement.

“My coach always finds a way” for Bolt to win, he said. “I’m not worried.”

As for his successor, he’s looking ahead, not back.

“I’m definitely excited just to sit and watch and to see who’s going to be the next Olympic champion in the 100, 200 meters,” he said. “There are a lot of young stars coming up. It’s exciting to see who is really going to step up to be a champion.”

Bolt is a three-time Olympic champion in the 100 and 200 meters. He’d also wrapped up a triple-triple — also winning three consecutive Olympic 4x100 relay gold medals — but was stripped of last year’s relay title when a teammate failed a drug test.

With all that success, knowing he’ll be finished racing in less than two months makes everything bittersweet.

He’s competing in his ninth and last Golden Spike meet Wednesday, running the 100 meters in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.

“Every meet will be emotional,” he said. “I know it will be my last time competing. It’s an emotional season.”

The only other race he has scheduled before the world championships is the Diamond League meet in Monaco on July 21. He’s undecided about other races.

He said he won’t leave the sport after his last race, intending to remain part of his racing team in Jamaica.

“When it comes to coaching, my coach really pushed me hard to try to get into coaching,” he said. “Maybe next season I’ll be at the track a lot. I won’t be a coach, but I’ll oversee and watch.”