Usain Bolt says he is not currently in world record shape

Reigning world and Olympic double sprint champion Usain Bolt says he is not currently in world record shape.

The 24-year-old Jamaican set world bests in 2008 and 2009 and will run the 100m in Friday's Diamond League meeting in Monaco.

But he is taking his time after missing much of 2010 through injury.

"I'm a long way off 9.58 seconds. I'm not going to lie to myself and say that I'll get there. It's not going to happen this season," he said.

"I could get to 9.6 or 9.7, I'm working on it. I'm taking my time and everyday it's coming together better. But 9.58 is not a joke."

Bolt clocked 9.69 sec when he won gold at the Beijing Olympics and then lowered that to 9.58 when he won World Championship gold a year later.

But his 2010 season was cut short by back and Achilles injuries which led to him missing the Commonwealth Games and he has only managed a 2011 season's best of 9.91.

Bolt says that after his injury, rather than focusing on times, he is working on regaining his fluency and technique before next month's World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

"It's very hard to come back from injury," he said. "You have to take your time and work your way back up.

"I want to run fast and I always run as fast as possible. I'm always up to the challenge and no matter how slow I run, I'm always at the front of the pack.

"I've not got to prove to anyone that I'm still the world's fastest man, blah blah blah. It's always been about the World Championships, never about the times.

"It's all about getting everything right. If the technique is right and I run 10 seconds flat, I'll be happy."

Bolt also insisted that he never feels under pressure from fans' expectations of him.

"The only pressure I feel is from myself. I never worry about what people want. I'm doing it for myself, and for me the key is the World Championships.

"I'll work my way to that and if I lose I'll feel bad."

Bolt will only have one more race before Daegu, running the 200m at Stockholm next week before further work on his technique in training.