Blake steps up

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Once considered a boy among men, former St Jago High star Yohan Blake cemented his place among the very best in the world with a powerful 19.78 seconds run in the 200m at the 10th Samsung Diamond League meet in Monaco on Thursday.

The run means that, in terms of Jamaican sprinters, he is second only to his Racers Track Club training partner Usain Bolt's world record-clocking of 19.19 over the distance, eclipsing Donald Quarrie's 19.86.

However, despite being extremely happy with the recent summits in his career, Blake is fully aware that there is a lot of work still left to be done and that there is a lot more room for improvement.

"I am fairly happy. Nothing is ever perfect, but after the setback (false start) that I had at the May 1 meet in Jamaica, I am ready and focused to compete for the rest of the season," said Blake during a recent interview, just before his superb run in Monaco.

The 20-year-old highlighted a need to improve on the technical aspect of his race and to end the season without injury as his main focus this year, especially considering that no major championships will be contested until next year's IAAF World Championships in athletics.

Steady improvement

"I want to be consistent and improve on the technical aspects of my race," Blake said. "This will hopefully lead to improvement in my times. While I would want to run a great time, I want to be consistent, improve on my technical areas and remain injury free."

The sprinter, who also boasts a personal best of 9.93 in the shorter 100m, rated his development under noted coach Glen Mills, who he has been guiding his career for the last couple years.

"My improvement has been steady. There is a lot of room for improvement and coach Mills and I are working on that," Blake noted.

He was also full of praise for his clubmate and double world record holder Usain Bolt, who he regards as a major source of inspiration, and was also appreciative of the support cast at the Racers Track Club.

"Usain is a great motivator and Daniel (Bailey) is a constant supporter. So they both inspire me to continue to do well. Also, we have a pretty good support team in the Racers Club. I should do well in that environment," said Blake.

And with a brewing rivalry developing between himself and his MVP counterpart Nesta Carter, after a number of testing battles between the two in recent months Blake is relishing the competition and is certain that it will have a positive effect on his improvement.

"Competition is good for all athletes," Blake said. "I respect all my competitors. My aim is to be on the medal podium in all of the major championships (such as the) Olympic Games. So I welcome all my competitors to challenge and push me to be a better athlete."