Yohan Blake

Yohan Blake (born 26 December 1989) is a retired Jamaican sprinter specialising in the 100-metre and 200-metre sprint races. Quotes I don't know anything, Nobody has said anything to me. You know why Usain calls me, Because when you're sleeping, I'm working, I'm toiling through the night. It's what great men do. I wasn't born with a golden spoon in my mouth, It was a really tough life. So many times, we had no money to even get to school. I'd have to find empty beer bottles to sell and spent hours carrying water on my head because we had no water at home. It gave me strength, which helps me today. It was my dream. When I was starting out at 12, I didn't go to school a lot so I was putting up a stick in the yard and bowling at it. Usain thinks he's much better than me but even though he gets more bounce and pace because he is really tall, I'm better. I'm pretty quick, fast through the air. Yohan Blake: the Beast who could beat Usain Bolt at London 2012,GUARDIAN, July 13 2012 I love the sport. You really feel the weight when you’re watching from the stands when you know you can be out there winning a medal. 2015 has started pretty well for me. Training is going well. I’m not giving all [I have] in training, just [keeping it] basic right now. But as the season progresses I think I will progress as well. I’m focusing on getting through the season injury free, and also winning a medal at the world championship, and then move the focus to Rio. I love competition, I love fast running. It doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t faze me. When I go on the track it [my attitude] is 'let’s go!'. The Beast is Back, April 21 2015 I can moonwalk, of course. I can do a bit of that lean in Smooth Criminal. And I listen to all his songs. Mostly Thriller, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, I love all of them. He showed how people suffer and if you can start with the man in the mirror you can make a change. He taught me a lot, just by watching his videos, watching him travel around the word. I've learnt a lot from Michael Jackson. It's not just the music, he helped a lot of people and that's what I want to do. I told him in training that I was going to try 14.30. He said, 'That's going to take some running'. He always sets the bar high, which I really like. As a youngster you have to aim high. I believe in time, That everybody has their time. Usain Bolt is having his time. We train together and I respect him a lot. I'll just wait until I have my time. I don't set goals, I have dreams. I'm still dreaming and when the time arrives, it arrives. Maybe this year, maybe next year, you will never know. I'm a man of surprises. I like surprises. What’s going to be different this time? I’m more wiser, I’m more stronger, I’m more focused, I’m not young any more. I’m not naive. So this time I won’t be too nervous. When I go to the track I try to have some fun, like, me and Usain, we’ll be laughing with each other, we’ll be talking about random stuff. You know, try to keep active, not to think about it too much. Then, when it comes to the start line, now we all throw away that, we are not friends. What’s going through my mind? All kinds of things. You know: 'I’m just Yohan Blake. Don't pop up too early. Stay focused. Hold your form together and just try to hang on. Yes I’m very confident, I haven’t been feeling anything. I feel reborn again. I feel brand new. You know, I’m not focusing on that. I just want to execute my race and anything that happens, happens. I think the 200 meters, because I have more speed endurance. I run a pretty quick time, 19.26, and I know I can go back even faster. Well actually I changed that name. I’m the blessed one now. Yes, so this time you’re going to see a whole different thing. Athletics: Blake says this time he can conquer his nerves, August 11 2016 I always wanted to be a cricketer. When we were young, my father was always listening to cricket commentary on the radio—we were too poor to own a TV. And inspired by him, I started playing. The first school principal I had in Jamaica saw me bowling, speeding past the wicket, and said: “This guy needs to do some running." He sent me to St. Jago, another school in the city, where I trained in track and field. But it was the condition at my home that made me take up track and field seriously. My mother would always tell us she didn’t have enough money to cook food for the 10 of us, and that she needed something to sustain the family. I saw running to be a way out of the poverty we were living in and gave it my all. Every time I’ve gone through excruciating training sessions, where I could not push any further, I’ve thought about my goal and motored on. That"s why my biggest achievement is not the medals I"ve won, but when I"m taking care of other people, and the greatest achievement I"ve had is when I bought my mother a house. In 2011, I became the youngest 100-metre world champion at 21 the next year, I won two Olympic medals—a silver and a gold (in relay). But I never ran for other people, I ran for myself. That’s how I managed to overcome the pressure of expectations. I love to compete, to win races. And I’ve always managed to keep distractions at bay and stayed focused. Because, first, I had my parents to keep me humble and grounded—I would get a tight slap from both of them if I ever went out of line. But, most important, I knew this is what I wanted to do for myself. Every time I’ve run, I’ve wanted to win the race for myself. The minute you start thinking about others, you’ll start losing. I always tell myself: I am who I think I am, I am not who people think I am. Just show up, everything else will follow: Yohan Blake, March 25 2023 External links Category:Track and field athletes Category:Sportspeople from Jamaica Category:1989 births Category:Living people