Three years after competing in an empty stadium in the Tokyo Olympics and winning a silver medal, Kelowna’s Jerome Blake is back on the international stage, but this time getting the full Olympic experience.
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are well underway, with Canadian athletes earning 20 medals as of Thursday morning.
For many of this year's athletes, including Blake, this is their first Olympic games in front of fans after the pandemic disrupted the 2020 edition of the event.
“I'm looking forward to being in a full-capacity stadium,” Blake told KelownaNow before the start of the Games.
“Eugene (Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships) was like that – a full capacity stadium – but at the same time, it's nothing like an Olympic Games with a full capacity stadium.”
Blake is a part of the Canadian 4x100m relay team, a group which won a silver medal at the previous Summer Games and won the world championship in 2022.
GOLD FOR CANADA 🥇 🇨🇦
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) July 24, 2022
What a race for the Canadians as they win gold in the men's 4x100m relay pic.twitter.com/xI4vVEUWw8
“I'm already physically prepared, but you have to put yourself in a different place mentally to get ready for it,” he added.
“So that's kind of what I've been doing, and it's been going very well.”
The Canadians are coming off a second-place finish in the World Athletic Relays this past May, just behind the Americans, and several teams could take the top place in this year’s 4x100m event.
“It's a lot of front runners and we are certainly one of the front runners as well,” explained Blake.
“Given our pedigree, and you know, we're a championship program. So for us, it's just going out there executing and trusting what we’ve put into our program, and just know that it will be fine.”
FINALS BOUND 🇨🇦
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) August 8, 2024
The women’s and men’s 4×100m relay teams, along with shot put star Sarah Mitton, who secured her spot with an impressive 19.77m throw on her first attempt, have all advanced to their event finals. 👏 pic.twitter.com/8GbuvVCwEF
The Canadian men’s and women’s teams will have the opportunity to medal in the event final on Friday after qualifying early Thursday morning.
Blake and his teammates will have a tough battle ahead of themselves as they enter the final with the slowest qualifying time of 38.39 seconds.
“Big shout out to family, supporters and everyone for (their) continued support," said the Kelowna sprinter.
"And the plan is to go out there and win gold.”
