Why they call me 'The Beast'

Glenford Smith, Career Writer

He's fast. Not quite as fast as 'Lightning', but close. Very close.

At 9.69 seconds and 19.26 seconds, he's the second fastest man in history over 100m and 200m distances, respectively. On his birth certificate, you'll find Yohan Blake. On the track, the world simply calls him 'The Beast'.

If you've ever wondered how Blake got his nickname, then you'll be intrigued by his revelation in this column. I believe you'll be inspired, as I was recently, by the Olympic and World Championships gold medallist's story behind his fearsome moniker.

The occasion was a March 14 motivational school visit at the Holy Trinity High School in Kingston. It was organised by Quantessa Graham, coordinator of the Governor-General's I Believe Initiative (IBI), which operates out of King's House.

Blake, who led a group of fellow I BeIieve ambassadors, shared aspects of his life story and answered questions from the all-boys student audience.

The Holy Trinity motivational school visit was one element in the IBI Mentorship Programme undertaken in partnership with the school. Yohan Blake's down-to-earth talk with the boys held their rapt attention.

He urged them not to let anyone tell them they couldn't amount to anything. It was very hard for him. With hard work, however, seemingly impossible desires can be realised, he asserted. Celebrities like him, who started from humble beginnings, were evidence that success was possible in whatever career they choose to pursue, Blake said.

"The reason why I was nicknamed 'The Beast' was because of how hard I train, my work ethic. My mom always told me, 'if you want good, yuh nose haffi run'. So when I'm training, when I'm on the track, and when I leave training, I'm dizzy, I'm vomiting. I do like 3,000 abs a day, sometimes more. It's a lot of sacrifice," he said.

WORKS LIKE A BEAST

It was training partner Usain Bolt who, when asked in a 2008 interview, which sprinter could challenge him, named Blake 'The Beast'. "Blake works like a Beast; he's there step for step with me in training," Bolt reportedly said.

There's a huge lesson there for you and me: Excellence in our respective fields often comes down to going that extra mile. Work an extra hour. Submit some more resumés; attend more interviews. Study more and work harder on your business and career.

It's not easy, but success is possible. Ultimately, I think that's the heart of Blake's message.

Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and success strategist. He is the author of 'From Problems to Power' and co-author of Profile of Excellence. Email: glenfordsmith@yahoo.com