HE MAY have to overcome the biggest superstar at the Games in his quest for Olympic glory but Danny Talbot will not be overawed by facing Usain Bolt.

Bolt will take to the startline in Rio as an overwhelming favourite to triumph in Talbot’s 200m event, which gets under way on Tuesday, as the Jamaican legend chases an unprecedented third straight sprint triple at the Olympics.

Trowbridge sprinter Talbot has plenty of past experience against Bolt to call upon, including in the biggest race of his career so far in last year’s World Championship semi-finals in Beijing.

Although Talbot accepts that he will have to defy all expectations to topple Bolt, he knows he cannot head out on track preparing for defeat.

The 25-year-old, who won European Championships bronze in Amsterdam in July, says all he can do is focus on himself and if Bolt leaves the world stunned once again with another superhuman time, then he will just stand back and applaud.

“I am there to do the best I can and if that means I can beat him, it means I beat him, but if he goes and runs 19.1 seconds, which is what he is capable of, or goes and breaks the world record, then so be it,” said Talbot.

“For me, I just want to go there and perform to the best of my abilities and just have fun with it.

“You don’t really get to race Usain Bolt everyday so I will just go there, have fun, run my own race and enjoy it.”

Former St Augustine’s pupil Talbot admits he was overcome with excitement the first time took to the startline alongside the current 100m and 200m world champion but says now he sees Bolt as just another opponent standing in his way.

“The first time I raced him was in 2013 and definitely the first time I was like ‘Oh my God, I’m racing Usain Bolt, this is amazing’,” said Talbot.

“I wanted all my friends to watch it on TV and all my family as it was a great moment.

“I have raced him a few times now, I raced him in the Commonwealth Games in 2014 on the last leg of the relay final and in Beijing at the World Championships last year, he was in the lane inside me.

“He is not really in my mind at all now. I am used to it now so I don’t really think about it.”