Coming off a rare loss at 100 meters, Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt is cutting his season short, saying he won't race again in 2010 because of tightness in his lower back.

The Jamaican's manager, Ricky Simms, wrote in an e-mail Tuesday that the world record-holder at 100 and 200 meters will have treatment to loosen his back and then rest, skipping IAAF Diamond League track and field meets in Zurich on Aug. 19, and in Brussels on Aug. 27.

"It is better for me not to take any risks this year," Bolt said, according to Simms. "2011 and 2012 are very important ... and I hope to be back fully fit and healthy. I ... look forward to coming back stronger next year."

Bolt hadn't lost an individual race in two years until Friday, when Tyson Gay of the United States beat him at the DN Galan meet in Stockholm. Gay ran 9.84 seconds, and Bolt finished in 9.97 nearly 0.40 slower than his record for the 100.

Given the 6-foot-5 Bolt's recent dominance and his dynamic, crowd-pleasing personality, the sabbatical he's taking is a blow to track and field in the short term, but should give the sport a boost when he returns.

Just ask Gay, who already is looking forward to taking on Bolt again sometime next year.

"It's kind of like boxers everyone is waiting for 2 heavyweights to clash. So when they do clash, it's exciting. But you don't see the heavyweights fight 2-3 times a year," Gay wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday. "So even though I was hoping we (would) race 2-3 times for the fans this year, him taking his break to get healthy for next year will make things that much more exciting for 2011!"

Ato Boldon agrees.

Boldon won four sprint medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Games and now is a TV analyst. He knows a good story line when he sees it.