Bolt to run in Shanghai, considering Korean race

Jamaican triple Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt will return to China next month for a 100 metres race in Shanghai, his agent said this week.

The September 20 race will be Bolt's first in Asia since his triumphant Beijing Olympics, Ricky Simms told Reuters.

The 23-year-old also is considering a sprint race on September 25 in Daegu, South Korea. The city will host the next world athletics championships in 2011.

A book deal on Bolt's dramatic rise to become the world's top sprinter also is being finalised, Simms said.

"We have been in negotiations for a long time and I think it is almost coming to a conclusion," the agent said.

Still under discussion is the focus of the book. It could encompass Bolt's entire life or just his success in recent years.

"There may be a couple of books," Simms said.

Bolt sprinted to triple gold in the Beijing Olympics with world record performances in the 100 and 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay. He nearly duplicated the showing at the recently completed World Championships in Berlin.

The lanky Jamaican lowered his world record in the 100 metres to 9.58 seconds and his 200 mark to 19.19 seconds with dramatic runs on the blue Berlin track. He also helped Jamaica take the gold in the 4x100 metres relay.

Bolt will complete his European season with races in Zurich and Brussels in the coming days. He will face countryman and former world record holder Asafa Powell over 100 metres in Zurich tomorrow.

The distance remains to be determined for his race on September 4 in Brussels, where he is scheduled to meet American Tyson Gay, Simms said.