Simeon Williamson is planning a second trip to Jamaica’s sprint factory as he tries to narrow the gap between Usain Bolt and the also-rans. Britain’s 100 metres champion will spend more than two months in Kingston as he seeks to unleash his potential and counter allegations that he is lazy.

That claim was made by Asafa Powell, who won bronze at the World Championships in July. He insisted that Jamaicans had to toil harder for their spoils than British runners, although he added the caveat that Williamson was one to watch. “I remember seeing the headline about being lazy in the paper,” Williamson said. “I saw Asafa at Crystal Palace and grabbed him. He said he didn’t mean it like that. After that, we were OK. It was cool.”

Williamson does concede that going to Jamaica last winter was a shock. He worked with Powell and his coach, Stephen Francis, and flogged himself in the early hours of the morning. This time he is likely to be working with Bolt and his guru, Glen Mills.

“The weather is a huge factor over there,” he explained. “In England you stand around for long and your muscles go cold and there is a chance of pulling something. Your recovery time is shorter. It’s not laziness, it’s being practical. Over there you can run faster and longer. They don’t do anything magical. They only have one 300-metre grass track and a small gym, but yes, they do work hard.”

False dawns are almost the default setting for British sprinting, but Williamson is far enough from his peak to whet appetites. He ran 10.05sec in Birmingham in July, modest by global standards, but take away the strong headwind and it equated to about 9.90, enough to put him in the world’s top five.

“I’ve reached about 60 per cent of my potential,” he said. “There’s a lot, lot more to come. The problem I have is I can recreate running 10.15 easily, but I don’t know how I ran 10.05. I need to study it closely.”

He got cramp four strides into his World Championships quarter-final, but does not think it was down to having Bolt alongside him. “Bolt has brought the audience back,” Williamson said. “Instead of sprinters walking up and down with their angry faces on, Bolt has made it entertainment. He’s lifted that dark cloud over athletics. I went to Berlin and was too serious, too wound up. That’s what I learnt from him. Run relaxed and you run so much better.”

Williamson stayed in his room for two days after his exit, coming out only for the final. He believes Bolt can take the world record to the low 9.5s, but added: “I think it will stay there for a very long time.” His own goals for next season are clear. “I want to run sub-ten seconds at least twice. I want two medals at the European Championships [in Barcelona next year]. I want to be running 10.0 or 9.9 on the circuit regularly.” He is undecided about the Commonwealth Games, which take place in Delhi in October next year, and the lateness of the competition means it may become a devalued afterthought for many.

Williamson needs to finalise his latest Jamaican trip, but is heeding some lessons from Bolt and plans to open next year with a couple of 400 metres races before switching to the 200 metres. “It’s about building endurance,” he said. Both are 23 and now share a sponsor. Williamson was speaking as he was unveiled as a Gatorade athlete. The company will back both through to 2012.

It is clear that a key motivator for Williamson is the Honorable Usain St Leo Bolt. “He is helping everyone push their bodies to the max,” Williamson said. “I want to make sure I’m dragged along with him.”