Injury concerns force Blake to withdraw from Nationals

Kingston (Jamaica), June 20 (IANS): Injury concerns have forced double Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake to pull out of the Jamaica National Senior Championship scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Manager Cubie Seegobin says the Jamaican sprinter has not fully recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered in April to run the 200m rounds this week.

“Yohan Blake has withdrawn from the National Championships,” Seegobin confirmed Wednesday.

“Yohan’s coach (Glen Mills) is not satisfied with the progress of his (Blake’s) injury and hence his level of fitness will not allow him to compete at this time.”

Blake is expected to concentrate his efforts on defending his 100 metres title at this summer’s IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

The sprinter does not have to qualify to compete in the 100m in Moscow, since his status as the defending champion allows him automatic entry to the August 10-18 Championships.

“We will continue to assess the situation and re-evaluate as we approach the World Championships,” said Seegobin.

Blake was hoping to qualify to compete in the 200m at the World Championships.

Since pulling up at the UTech Classic in April, Blake has only made one appearance – a 20.72-second effort in a 200m at the Jamaica All Comers meet earlier this month.

Blake is the second-fastest man in history in both the 100m and the 200m with personal best times of 9.69 (100m) and 19.26 (200m).