Usain Bolt returns to action as a fully fledged superstar tonight, with his coach launching an impassioned attack on his critics. The Jamaican won three gold medals and helped himself to three world records in Beijing, but was rebuked by Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, for not shaking hands with his opponents.

Glen Mills believes the criticism originated on American television. “Usain's dominance in the 100metres brings a lot of jealousy because normally you have one country [United States] that dominates,” Mills said. “But if they are trying to get in his mind, they are wasting their time.”

Mills pointed out that American athletes have indulged in similar celebrations. “I was in Seoul [in 1988] and Flo-Jo [Florence Griffith-Joyner] was running the last 20 metres with her hand waving in front of the other competitors,” he said. “Nobody said anything.” Bolt, too, defended himself, saying that he had merely started celebrating once he knew the race was won.

The remarks of Rogge will not dampen the reception that Bolt receives at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich tonight, when he takes on Richard Thompson, of Trinidad & Tobago, and Walter Dix, the American, who were second and third in Beijing. The question on everyone's lips is: just how fast can Bolt go? One of those running against him tonight, Marc Burns, the Trinidadian, believes that the world record-holder can clock 9.55sec, while Mills has suggested that Bolt might have recorded 9.52sec had he run through the line in the Bird's Nest.

Before Beijing, Asafa Powell, the former world record-holder, said: “A human being can run below 9.7sec, but we will not go much faster unless they put an escalator on the track.”

After Zurich, Bolt plans to run the 200metres at the Athletissima Grand Prix in Lausanne on Tuesday before dropping down to the 100metres at the season's final Golden League meeting, in Brussels next Friday.

Marilyn Okoro and Tom Lancashire, the middle-distance runners, and Sarah Claxton, the hurdler, are the British athletes on tonight's bill.