by Larry EderYohan Blake is one of the characters in this sport that will make the London 2012 100 meters and perhaps 200 meters two of the most spectacular events in Olympic track & field history. A chance to see him racing in the US? Well, for track fans, it is all about the racing! Don’t miss the Beast at the 2012 adidas GP NYC!
2012 World Champs 100 meters: Yohan Blake Wins, photo by PhotoRun.net
Quotes & Audio Link from today’s conference call with World Champion Yohan Blake
Stadium,” declared World Champion Yohan Blake on Tuesday, March 6, as he
spoke to media from around the world about his plans to compete at the
2012 adidas Grand Prix on June 9. “I want to make sure the fans enjoy
their money’s worth.” Oh, boy.
Here are just a few excerpts from Blake’s 35-minute call with
reporters:
On
what he’s looking forward to most in running in New York:
New York is a good preparation for me going into the Jamaican
Trials and into the Olympics. I love running in New York. The people are really
nice, the wonderful Jamaican people there cheering you on. I ran back there in
2010. I ran really well. I gave away my race, but I’m coming back now.
On
if he’s trying to also do something great in New York, similar to Bolt’s first
100 meter world record in 2008:
I just want to
go to New York and have a wonderful race. Depending on the conditions on the
day, anything can happen. I’m not going out to stress myself and say, Ok Usain
Bolt broke the record and I have to run just as fast. I just want to go out
there on the day, have fun, make sure the fans enjoy their money’s worth.
On the significance of the adidas Grand
Prix as the first big meet he competed in as a part of the St. Jago relay in
2007:
When I look in
the stands, there’s a lot of Jamaicans, and it’s always been a good meet. I’ve
been growing with New York. I love Icahn Stadium, I love the people on the
athletic side. I think it’s a wonderful track, and I’m going to look forward to
running in New York.
On
how training with Usain Bolt has turned him into the sprinter he is today:
Usain Bolt pushed me a lot in training due to the fact that if he
has to take one, I have to take two. He’s helped me because I have to run even
faster in training to keep up with his speed. He helped me a lot to prepare
last year for the World Championships and the Olympics this year.
On
how often to race before the Olympics:
Coach Mills knows what to do because he’s one of the best coaches
in the world. He knows he can take me off at any time, and I’ll run fast. So I
don’t think I need many races. Just like last year, I didn’t run many races
going into Daegu, so think year I don’t think it will be really different.
One thing I’m trying to work on is my start and the technical part
of my 100m race because most of my races technical problems are at the start,
and the first 30 meters is giving me problems. So basically I’ll be working on
that for the London 2012 100 meters.
On the difficulty of the Jamaican Olympic
Trials:
Yes at the
Trials, all the guys are running really fast. Most of them are going to be in
the 100-meter finals [at the Olympics]. It’s going to be a really difficult one
because nobody’s spot is guaranteed, and you have to be ready on the day. I think
it’s going to be a tough one in June.
On what winning the World Championships
meant:
It meant a lot
to me, knowing I’d been working really hard. For me to get a gold medal, also
being the youngest World Champion ever, it’s really meant a lot to me and
opened a lot of doors. Usain not running in the finals didn’t change anything,
really. I was looking forward to running with him. We had been talking in
training, we were going to lay it down there on the track. It was unfortunate. The
false start was a big shocker.
Daegu, and my
training, both really gave me a lot of belief going into this year in 2012
right now because I’ve run with all of these guys before, and I know what they
can do. But I think this year is going to be different because Asafa is coming
back into the picture, and I don’t think Usain will false start again. It’s
going to be interesting. I have a good confidence level right now coming off
winning the World Championships and ranking number one in the world in the 100
meters. I have a 250 percent confidence.
On if such a strong 200m race in Brussels
last year causes him to change his focus in training:
This year I’m
really focusing on my 100 meter. In the 200 meter, you can make mistakes and still
run back, but the 100 meter you don’t have any mistakes to make. So I just want
to work on my first 30 meters and get my start right.
On why they call him the Beast:
Why they call me
the Beast, even when I have breaks, I still train. On Christmas break, Coach
Mills has to call and say, you are on a break. You need to take some rest. That’s
how I work. When you guys are sleeping at night, I’m out there working. That’s
why they call me the Beast. I work twice as hard as everybody else.
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