"Don't ever call me lucky" - Yohan Blake sends a cryptic message after missing a spot in the Jamaican Olympics team for Paris

Yohan Blake recently shared a cryptic message after falling short of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although, only a few days after missing the spot, he will be seen competing at the Ed Murphey Classic.

The 2024 Ed Murphey Classic, categorized as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Event, will be held from Thursday, July 11, to Saturday, July 13, in Memphis, Tennessee. Blake is all set to compete in the 100m event on Friday, July 12, after falling short of grabbing the Olympic berth at the 2024 Jamaican Trials.

The Jamaican sprinter is a four-time Olympic medalist, bagging a gold medal in the 4x100m relay and silver medals in 100m and 200m at the 2012 London Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he contributed to defending the national squad's title in the 4x100m relay event by running the second leg.

Blake competed in the Trials to earn the Olympic spot for his fourth appearance in Paris. He displayed a below-par performance at the National Stadium in Kingston after securing fifth place in the preliminary round of the 100m event, clocking a time of 10.21 seconds. Being dominated by Oblique Seville, Bryan Levell, Jehlani Gordon, and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, the 34-year-old sprinter failed to qualify for the next rounds.

He shared a picture of himself on the Instagram story and wrote:

"Don't ever call me lucky. I failed more time than you even tried."

Screenshot of Yohan Blake's Instagram story.

Instances when Yohan Blake lagged in displaying remarkable performances

Yohan Blake of Team Jamaica reacts following the Men's 4x100 meters relay final at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Getty Images)

Yohan Blake's career, though seemingly illustrious, was marked by numerous challenges and plagued by several underwhelming performances. After his successful run at the 2012 London Olympics, Blake suffered a severe hamstring injury in the following year.

The injury hampered his performance in the 200m at the Jamaican Nationals as he registered a below-average time of 20.72 seconds. He failed to qualify in the event for the 2013 Moscow World Championships and was forced to withdraw from the 100m event, in which he earned an automatic entry as the defending champion.

However, after navigating through the adverse challenges, Blake made a return to the sport in 2014 at the Lausanne Diamond League. Unfortunately, after insufficient recovery, he had to settle in sixth place in the 200m event, posting 20.48 seconds.

He still competed in the 100m at the Glasgow Diamond League in the same year but was hit by another hamstring injury. At the 40m-mark of the 100m event in Glasgow, he sustained the injury. He withdrew from the event, marking the end of his season.