Blake grateful for key to region, response to restaurant opening

WORLD’S SECOND fastest man alive, Yohan Blake, was honoured with the Key to the Region during the grand opening of his new restaurant, Butcher’s Barrel, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida yesterday.

The 34-year old marked this double achievement as a milestone in his life.

“Today, I woke up with my heart full of gratitude for everyone in my corner, especially my friends. When I had the wild idea to start a business outside of my home country, none of them ever said it was impossible. Instead, they motivated and inspired me through the toughest moments, and, together, we made it happen. We successfully launched our first international business,” the 2011 World 100m Champion said under an Instagram post.

“The Butcher’s Barrel is officially open in Oakland Park, Florida, and I’m beyond grateful to everyone who came out to support us yesterday. Our team and staff Thank you! None of this would have been possible without God.”

The Key to the Region initiative, developed in collaboration with Caribbean elected officials, honours individuals who have made notable contributions to the community through excellence in their respective fields.

This event saw Blake joining dancehall artist Spice, TV personality Miss Kitty, and reggae artiste Ky-Mani Marley as Jamaicans to be awarded the Key to the Region.

“This brings tears to my eyes to recognise this moment. I have worked 20-odd years tirelessly, creating so much history around the world being one of the fastest men in the 100 and 200, plus the 4x100m, it is not an easy feat,” Blake said.

“To do something like this, just a simple award to recognise what we have been doing – I just want to thank you for this. It means a lot to me, from the bottom of my heart.”

Blake’s athletic career was full of history-making moments, including becoming the youngest 100m World Athletics Champion in 2011, claiming silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and being a part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay world record team. He also has a personal best of 9.69 seconds and 19.26 seconds in the 100m and 200m, respectively, making him the second fastest man in history over both events.