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Jamaica's Yohan Blake celebrates after winning the 100 metres during the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting in the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, recently. Blake clocked a personal-best 9.82 seconds. - AP
Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, believes that newly crowned world 100m champion and the second-fastest man over 200m, Yohan Blake, is a source of inspiration for Jamaica's youth and encouraged the 21-year-old to remain humble and respectful.
Blake, who became the youngest-ever 100m world champion after powering to a 9.92-second win at the recently concluded IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which took place in Daegu, South Korea.
The former St Jago High School standout followed that up with a blistering 19.26 seconds at an IAAF Diamond League meet in Brussels last week - the second-fastest time over the distance; bettered only by compatriot and training partner Usain Bolt's world-record 19.19 seconds, which was posted at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
"Yohan (Blake) is a tremendous inspiration for Jamaica and for our young people," said Grange
"Particularly those who are at the level where they are coming out of high school and will be moving into the elite group (of athletes). What Yohan has achieved is a statement to them to say, look you can achieve it as well," Grange added.
Grange, who witnessed Yohan's Daegu exploits first-hand in the stands at the Daegu Stadium, said she was always confident that the youngster would deliver the 100m gold medal despite the well-publicised false start of Bolt in the final.
"I have a soft spot for Yohan and have always felt that he is a special athlete having followed his career since he was a student at St Jago," Grange said. "So when Usain false-started, I was confident that he would rise to the occasion and win. When everyone was shocked about the false start, I was focused on Jamaica winning because I knew Yohan would make it happen."
She also had some words of advice for Blake.
"More than anything else, be humble. No matter what you achieve and no matter how great you are, you must continue to be humble and recognise that it's not only about you as a great sprinter but it's also about your country Jamaica, which has nurtured you and which helped you to realise your full potential," Grange encouraged.
The sports minister had met with the youngster at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston shortly after his return to the island on Monday, after over two months away in preparation for the World Championships.
That meeting was followed by a quick meeting with Prime Minister Bruce Golding at Jamaica House, where the chief lauded the achievements of the Glen Mills-coached athlete.
World 100m champion Yohan Blake (left) arrives at The Jamaica Pegasus for a brief meeting with Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange (right)
shortly after his arrival in Jamaica on Monday. In the background is Blake's local manager, Timothy Spencer.
