Yohan Blake determined to keep trying despite falling short of qualifying for Paris Olympics 2024

Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake has shared that people who never give up during tough times emerge victorious and earn the most important things in life. His strong message comes after he missed out on Olympics qualification after a below-par showing at the Jamaican Trials.

Blake won silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the 2012 London Olympics behind world record holder, Usain Bolt. His 100m time of 9.75s and 200m time of 19.44s are the fastest times to not win the gold medal in Olympic history.

The 34-year-old became the youngest 100m champion ever at the 2011 World Championships. He was also part of two gold-winning 4x100m relay teams at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. However, his Tokyo Olympic stint was disappointing as he failed to make the 100m final. The sprinter finished fifth at the 2024 Trials, ending his bid to qualify for the Paris Games.

His time of 10.21 wasn't enough for him to secure an Olympics berth, but Blake hasn't lost hope. He took to his X handle to post that the people who achieve the most important things in life do not give up during the tough times.

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. #Mindset"

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Yohan Blake had previously shared that Paris Olympics could be his 'last dance'

Yohan Blake amassed four Olympic medals throughout his track career but never won an individual gold. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he had planned to make his grand exit from the sport.

"Doing the 200, 100 and relays simply takes a lot out of you, so these are the events I want to focus on. Paris 2024 should be my last dance," he said. (via insidethegames.biz)

In an interview, Blake also shared that 'the beast' nickname he goes by came from Usain Bolt, his former training partner.

"To be honest, Usain Bolt called me 'The Beast' because of the way I trained because when he's training with me, he knows he's not going to have it easy. So he looked at me one day and said, 'You know you are a beast'," he said. (Times of India)

Yohan Blake, along with Tyson Gay, holds the second fastest 100m time of 9.69s. He set the Jamaican national record in the 100m and became the youngest sprinter to go sub-10 seconds at just 19 years of age.