"Kishane Thompson put us back on the map" - Yohan Blake impressed with Jamaica's sprint squad at Paris Olympics

Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake shared details from his early days in track and field, his setbacks, the importance of a balanced routine, and mental and physical training in a recent SportsMax podcast. The 34-year-old was born in 1989. During his early life, his coach, Carlton Solan, uncovered him as a young talent at Davis Primary School.

Blake set the 100m sprint record as a Jamaican junior sprinter, 10.11 seconds in 2007. In the podcast, Blake was asked:

"What do you think about the future of Jamaican sprinting as it is now? Is there any young athlete, both male and female, that you would (pick), you know, looking forward?" [28:16]

In response, Blake named 22-year-old Ackeem Blake:

"I really have to credit Ackeem. He used to walk from San San to Kingston and go back on the same day." [28:38]

Furthermore, Yohan Blake mentioned Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville, along with a few others as candidates for the future of Jamaican sprinting at the Olympics.

"Kishane put us back on the map by getting a medal at the Olympics, and I believe we can get more. Oblique has the potential. Definitely Ackeem also has the potential. The crop is there.

These guys need to stay focused, and the sky is the limit. Because they can put us back on the map by getting a medal at the Olympics, and I believe we can get more."

Blake's love for cricket became visible when he attended St. Jago High School. He was known for his fast bowling. When his school principal asked him, he ran faster to catch the balls, eventually becoming one of the country's most distinguished sprinters alongside Usain Bolt.

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How Yohan Blake got his sprinting break in 2011

London 2012 - Athletics - Men's 4 x 100m Relay - Yohan Blake (L) and Usain Bolt - Source: Getty

Due to a false start in the IAAF World Championships finals in Daegu in 2011, Usain Bolt was declared disqualified. Yohan Blake took his turn to shine, winning the 100m gold medal in 9.92 seconds.

In Brussels in 2011, Blake recorded the second-fastest 200m time in history at 19.26 seconds. His performance during these events proved him as one of the world's top sprinters.

In July of the following year at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston, Blake defeated Bolt twice within 48 hours in the 100m and 200m races. Seeing Blake's performances in the past two years, his fans started calling him "The Beast," a name given to him by Bolt.