Just show up, everything else will follow: Yohan Blake

Yohan Blake Image: David W Cerny / Reuters

“I wanted to be a cricketer even when I was in my mother’s belly,” says Yohan Blake. But, in his early school years, as he would furiously run past the wickets with the ball, he caught the eye of his principal who figured he would be better off running sprints. The rest, as they say, is history. At 21, Blake became the youngest 100-metre world champion and the next year, returned with a gold and a silver from the London Olympics. The man who couldn’t become a fast bowler ended up being the second-fastest human after fellow Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, having run the 100m at 9.69 seconds. In his illustrious career, Blake’s been a two-time Olympic, World and Diamond League champion, a CV that would be the stuff of dreams for any athlete. During his visit to Mumbai as the international event ambassador for the Tata Mumbai Marathon, the 33-year-old sat down with Forbes India for a chat about his early life, what propelled him towards excellence, and how he kept pushing hard every day.

Edited excerpts:

‘Your goal is your biggest motivation’  

I always wanted to be a cricketer. When we were young, my father was always listening to cricket commentary on the radio—we were too poor to own a TV. And inspired by him, I started playing. The first school principal I had in Jamaica saw me bowling, speeding past the wicket, and said: “This guy needs to do some running.” He sent me to St. Jago, another school in the city, where I trained in track and field. But it was the condition at my home that made me take up track and field seriously. My mother would always tell us she didn’t have enough money to cook food for the 10 of us, and that she needed something to sustain the family. I saw running to be a way out of the poverty we were living in and gave it my all. Every time I’ve gone through excruciating training sessions, where I could not push any further, I’ve thought about my goal and motored on. That's why my biggest achievement is not the medals I've won, but when I'm taking care of other people, and the greatest achievement I've had is when I bought my mother a house.   

‘Do it for yourself, not for others’

In 2011, I became the youngest 100-metre world champion at 21; the next year, I won two Olympic medals—a silver and a gold (in relay). But I never ran for other people, I ran for myself. That’s how I managed to overcome the pressure of expectations. I love to compete, to win races. And I’ve always managed to keep distractions at bay and stayed focused. Because, first, I had my parents to keep me humble and grounded—I would get a tight slap from both of them if I ever went out of line. But, most important, I knew this is what I wanted to do for myself. Every time I’ve run, I’ve wanted to win the race for myself. The minute you start thinking about others, you’ll start losing. I always tell myself: I am who I think I am, I am not who people think I am. 

Also read: Don't fear pressure, deal with it: Jhulan Goswami