Execution is my focus - Blake
Published:Friday | July 14, 2017 | 12:00 AMRaymond Graham
RABAT, Morocco:
AFTER injury struggles for over two years, 2011 World 100 metres champion Yohan Blake has been showing good form this season.
Blake, who has recorded three successive sub-10 seconds runs this year, says he is ready for a great execution when he lines up in the 100 metres - a non-Diamond League race - at tomorrow's stop in Rabat, Morocco.
Blake will face a more-than-average field, which includes the in-form Youssef Ben Meite of the Ivory Coast, who finished a close second recently in Lausanne in a personal best of 9.98 seconds behind the United States' Justin Gatlin. South Africa's Thando Roto (9.95) and Great Britain's Nethanel Blake Mitchell (9.99) are the other sub -10 seconds athletes this season in the event.
The Gleaner caught up with Blake yesterday just after his final preparation for tomorrow's meet, and he was in a positive mood.
"I am in good shape, thank God. I just want to keep focused and to just execute the plan in training - what coach wants me to do in competition," said Blake when asked what kind of shape he was in.
It has not been a busy season for Blake, who has only competed in the 100m at four races, and he was asked if this was a definite plan for this season.
READY TO RUN FAST
"I am in great shape. I do not need many races, and this is something coach had planned for this season,as when it is time for competition, I am ready to run fast and just to be consistent," he said.
Being injury-free so far compared to the past two years, Blake was asked what has made the difference this time around.
"It is just keeping flexible, warming up properly and doing the right stretches," he said.
Fast times have been rarely run at this track, and no one has gone sub-9.9 seconds at the meet, but he is confident that all this could change tomorrow.
"It is not the track, it is the person, and I am in great shape, and I am just going out there to run fast," said Blake, who also stated that this could be his final race before the World Championships in London next month.