What are you doing?'-Veteran Jamaican sprinter on conversations

Jamaican sprinter has opened up about overcoming a career-altering injury that required surgery to reattach his hamstring muscle, sharing his journey of resilience, faith and determination.

Former world champion Yohan Blake has lived through the kind of battles that would have driven most athletes to retire.

Blake still holds the title as the youngest 100m world champion in history and still stands as the second-fastest man on the planet.

But behind his impressive achievements lies a story of resilience, struggle and an unwavering commitment to his dreams in the face of career-threatening injuries.

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In 2014, Blake’s career took a harrowing turn at the Glasgow Grand Prix when he suffered an excruciating hamstring tear that tore the muscle right off the bone, an injury so severe it required surgery to reattach the muscle using aluminum.

The injury, initially mistaken for a cramp, was later recognized as a catastrophic blow that sidelined him for the rest of the season and has lingered in his life to this day.

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Facing the unthinkable, Blake was overwhelmed, seeking solace away from the world and turning to his faith.

“When that happened to me, I went into the hills for two weeks. No one knew where I was, and I cried,” Blake shared in a recent interview on the Out D Blocks show.

“I finally talked to God and said, ‘Listen, you are the second fastest man on the planet. What are you doing?’”

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With doubt lingering and the pain of recovery consuming him, Blake sought the counsel of those who had faced similar struggles.

He found strength in speaking with Brigitte Foster-Hylton, a fellow Jamaican and world champion hurdler, who had battled a comparable injury and returned to triumph.

Motivated by her story and the support of his team, Blake eased back into training, finding a renewed sense of confidence and courage that propelled him to press on.

Now, a decade after that fateful injury, Blake reflects on the toll these challenges have taken on his body.

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At 34, his 2024 season has been less than what he had hoped for, with a season-best 100m time of 10.16 seconds and a failure to qualify for the Jamaican Olympic team heading to Paris.

Persistent injuries, especially the lingering effects of his torn hamstring, continue to haunt him.

“I still struggle with a lot of injuries,” he admitted, adding that even his 2014 injury resurfaces with a rigidity that holds him back, making training and competition equally grueling.

Despite these fears, Blake has stayed the course, driven by a mindset that refuses to be swayed by the critics or the doubters.

“Thank God for what I have achieved because not many persons in the world can say they have achieved what I have achieved,” Blake reflected.

“There comes a point in time when you understand, even though you have people saying quit or stop, those are the things that drive me. You can’t tell me to quit. They can’t tell me to quit. They can say anything, but they can’t make me quit. I have to make me quit.”