In Blake
In Blake & white
By Shashank NairShashank Nair, Mumbai Mirror | Updated: Dec 3, 2019, 06:00 IST
Photo by Deepak Turbhekar
Yohan Blake, Jamaican Sprinter
Jamaican sprinter talks to Shashank Nair on his past, present and Tokyo Olympics.
Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake has chased Usain Bolt for most of his career. Now with Bolt gone, Blake only has his lifelong injuries and a young crop of sprinters to beat – and that is easier said than done. Armed with his former coach, a better form factor and some aluminium holding his hamstring together, Blake looks to Tokyo 2020 – his final chance at winning an individual gold medal. In Mumbai for a Road Safety World Series event, the Jamaican 100m and 200m silver medallist spoke to Mirror yesterday about his quest to chase Bolt, his chances at Tokyo 2020 and the return of his former coach.
♦ What's the diff erence between running a 100m race in 10 seconds and running one in 9.69 seconds?
9.69… That day I felt like I wasn't touching the ground. I felt unstoppable. I was just flying. That's what 9.69 is like. When I'm running 10 seconds, it feels like a jog in the park. So, there is a big difference. It's like a Nissan GTR taking on a BMW three-series… different speeds.
The day I hit 9.69, I had the flu – these places get really cold. It's just… Tyson Gay. I could feel Tyson creep up on me and I knew he would run me to the tape. He was chasing me, and I just kept on telling myself, 'not today…not today'.
♦ In 2012, the phenomena of Usain Bolt was at its peak. But before the London Games, you defeated Bolt in the Jamaican trials…possibly the only time a sprinter beat Bolt in his prime and when he wasn't injured. Can you talk about that and what happened afterwards at the Olympics?
I know what I was working for. I used to train with him. Whenever I used to be in training with him, I used to think to myself, 'He's sixfoot something and I'm five-foot something. When he takes two strides, I take one.' I realised that I would have to maximise my speed and my stride against him. It was a really good feeling knowing that everyone thought he was going to win and I was victorious.
About London… I don't know what happened. My coach changed my training a bit. And I didn't like that. Nevertheless, I came second.
♦ Can you talk about what changes your coach made during that period?
That's a very controversial topic. Something I'm saving for my book!
♦ The world got to see Usain Bolt being Usain Bolt. Talk to me about what it's like to try to go past him on the track?
It's like being in the wild. You see an ostrich getting away from a cheetah. One of them is faster than the other. Imagine the cheetah trying his best to catch the ostrich but fails. You ran for nothing! It was basically like that.
♦ What does it feel like to be on the start line at an Olympic 100m fi nal and the crowd suddenly goes silent?
It's one of the most incredible things to happen. After they get silent, you go nervous.
It feels like you're in an accident and everything flashes before your eyes. You're talking to yourself – pumping yourself up -- because if you're not you end up asking yourself what's going on. You have to be there, in that position to really understand what it feels like.
Yohan Blake
♦ You were on the way to becoming a cricketer but switched to athletics. Did you hesitate before turning to sprinting?
It was alright for me. I love cricket. I watch cricket everyday – sometimes on five different computers and TVs a day. When my coach said that I should make this change, I embraced it. I could focus on me, whereas cricket is a team sport.
♦ I'm sure you knew you were fast. But did you ever think you were 'sub-10 seconds' fast?
I didn't know I was that fast! Back home, there was a guy called Andre I used to race with. He used to say that I had great speed. When I used to play cricket, I was so fast that I would constantly run past my bowling mark – I couldn't control myself.
The first time I ran sub-10 was when I was in Rome. Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay were with me in that race as well. I went 9.96 in the final, 10.04 in the heats.
♦ The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will see a lot of fresh talent looking to take up the mantle left behind by Bolt. Where do you see yourself among all these new names?
The Tokyo Olympics is going to be my last Olympics. I know guys like Chris Coleman, Andre de Grasse are going to make it really tough. But I love tough situations. It shows how strong you are. It's going to be an epic race and I can't wait.
♦ You have clocked the fastest non-Olympic gold winning time in the history of the sport. Do you feel like you're owed an individual gold at this point?
Most of my runs are gold medal runs. It's just that sometimes the people you come up against…
I think because of my injuries, I missed out on many golds. I know I should have more gold medals. But because of my injuries, the surgeries, I ended up missing out on them.
♦ You injured your hamstring in Glasgow and things haven't really been the same since then. What's changed for you this season?
I had to go for surgery and it took me a couple of years to recover from that. I've been working on my form. My leg is starting to extend more. My speed is there, but the endurance is still developing. Because of the aluminium (from surgery) in my leg, my muscle wasn't extending. I can finally get it to extend. The aluminium is right on my glute muscle. It's attached to the bone. It was crazy at that point. But it has gotten better and better over the years.
♦ How's the new coach been?
I used to work with him back in the day. He knows my body, what I'm capable off. When I ran the 19.26 and 9.69, he was with me. He has all the programs from when I was running fast.
♦ With the Tokyo Olympics next year and you being part of the Road Safety World Series event, do you intend on playing any cricket?
The Diamond League is going to start early. I'll be taking part in the Intercontinental tour in April as well. So February, April… it's looking kind off tricky but I want to play two games. Especially the one against Australia. I'm looking to (clicks his tongue) bat against Brett Lee.
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