World 100m champion Yohan Blake has said in essence that Jamaica could break its own sprint relay world record of 37.01secs if the team is firing well off all cylinders when they take to the track at the London Olympics this summer.
“It’s in the making,” he told the international media yesterday about his plans to compete at the 2012 adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 9, and beyond. “Without Asafa Powell we broke the record in Daegu. If Asafa is fit and no athlete is injured, I think it’s going to go.”
Regarding his leg of choice on the 4×1, Blake, who performed duties on the anchor in high school, and either on the backstretch or anchor in his professional career, ran a blistering third leg on the team that set the world record in Daegu last year. Nonetheless, the Daegu underdog-turned-champion maintains his preference for any of the straightaway legs.
“In training, I run everything. There are different parts of the relay where I’m more effective, like on the home straight or back straight because I love the straightaway, but I can be effective anywhere else,” he said.
But the 4×1 is not the only relay Blake is used to running. As a schoolboy, he was known to anchor his team in the 4×4 with resounding success. His latest contribution in a 4×4 race was at the recent Gibson Relays in Kingston, where he anchored for his club, coming from behind to win with a faster-than-others 45.4 split.
That early season run has fueled the prospect of Blake running the 4×4 in addition to the 4×1 in London. In addressing the idea, he said: “I don’t really focus on the relays. It’s a team [effort] and on the day, or before, we can come together and unify… [However,] I love the 4×4, so if the opportunity comes my way, I wouldn’t mind running it for Jamaica.”
Responding to questions about surprising fans with an individual world record in London, the 22-yr-old, whom his training partner Usain Bolt has dubbed The Beast, said while he also doesn’t focus on world records, anything is possible. He noted: “Look back at Brussels, everybody was surprised, every eyebrow raised. I’m a man who comes with lots of surprises. You never know.”