Usain Bolt vs Yohan Blake: Jamaican sprinter reveals bitter secrets of rivalry with world's fastest man alive

Find out everything you need to know about the greatest rivalry between the two fastest men of all-time Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

Two of Jamaica’s biggest track stars Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake once had the same coach and trained together. The pair were also members of the famous team that won gold in the 4x100m relay for the reggae-nation at the London 2012 Olympics.

The quartet of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Michael Frater and Nesta Carter ran a world record 36.85 seconds. The gold medal was never in doubt the moment Yohan Blake handed the baton to Usain Bolt, who anchored Jamaica home in record time - a record that stands till today. 

However, like it is common to all men, rivalry, jealousy and envy is inevitable in such a competitive sport as athletics. Usain Bolt and Johan Blake have a fair share of such incidence.

This article breaks down all the details, separating facts from rumours, bringing balance to a topic that has divided fans over the years.

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Usain Bolt vs Yohan Blake - Background story

Unarguably the fastest man alive, Bolt who turned 38 years yesterday, August 22nd, 2024 set a blistering 9.58 seconds 100m record that is yet to be broken. The closest anyone has come to that time is fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake who ran 9.69 seconds in 2012. USA’s Tyson Gay also ran 9.69 seconds back in September 2009 in Shanghai, China.   

Despite Blake’s impressive abilities, he was always in the shadows of the more-renowned Bolt, and it was only a matter of time before issues began to rise.

Back in 2019, during an exclusive interview with Outlook, the second fastest man in history opened up on his rivalry with his compatriot and training partner and how sharing the same coach put him under the shadows of Usain Bolt.

Blame my coach - Yohan Blake on being overshadowed by Usain Bolt

Yohan Blake blamed coach Glen Mills who didn’t allow him race against Usain Bolt on numerous occasions, even though they trained together a lot of time. 

The 34-year-old accused his older companion of always wanting to win and believed nobody could stop him. However, Blake is of the opinion that he could have been the one to ‘break’ Bolt.

“We trained a lot but didn’t race as much; the coach didn’t make us do that. Bolt was different. When we were taking two strides, he was taking one, that’s how good he was. Bolt alw­ays wanted to win and thought nothing can break him. I knew I could have broken him but a lot of tra­ining mix-ups happened, it’s a long story,” Blake said.

When pressed further to reveal details of the ‘long story,’ Yohan Blake pointed accusing finger at his coach. He said:

“I do regret not competing against him as much as I had wanted but it’s not my fault, it’s my ex-coach’s fault. But that’s behind us and I am looking to the future. When that guy Bolt is dominating you, it is not easy to emerge from his shadow. When I won the world championship in Daegu (Korea) in 2011, clocked 19.26 in Brussels and timed 9.69 in Lausanne in 2012, I created my identity.”

Blake was also asked if he feels Usain Bolt who quit athletics aged 31 retired early. To this he responded by saying, “Don’t think so. Bolt said he has achieved everything possible and he pulled up in his last race (relay) in the 2017 World Championship at London. One has to train continuously for years to keep pace in athletics.”

Usain Bolt vs Yohan Blake - Who is faster?

I know you might be quick to mention Usain Bolt because he has all the records - 9.58 seconds 100m, 19.19 seconds 200m. However, this question is quite tricky and to answer, we must consider many factors.

Usain Bolt and  Yohan Blake is another case of the endless Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi debate. Bolt had the talent and put in the effort to reach the enviable height he attained. Likewise, Blake is also super talented and probably might have put in more effort than his compatriots - which explains the frequent injuries he suffered because he overworked his body.

Also, we might never know if coach Glen Mills focused more on training Usain Bolt [who obviously was the bigger and more marketable athlete] to his best and didn’t do the same with Blake. Coaches like to have top talents in their ranks because it adds to their Curriculum Vitae.

This was the case with fellow Jamaican female sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thomas-Herah. Both ladies were under the same management, with Frayer-Pryce the golden girl after winning the Olympic prize in 2008. Elaine Thomas-Herah, on the other hand, was just a normal college girl, but after winning a silver medal at the world championships in 2015, trouble started.

There was a clash in their training camp because none was willing to be under the shadow of the other. Fraser-Pryce left and went under a new management. This new coach trained Fraser-Pryce to run her fastest time ever. 

Peradventure: If Blake had chosen to split with his coach and come under new management, maybe he would have posted a faster time than his 9.69 seconds PB.

During the 100m men’s final of the 2011 World Athletics Championships, 21-year-old Yohan Blake breezed to victory after Usain Bolt was disqualified due to a false start.

In 2012, during the leadup to the Olympics, Blake defeated his rival twice within 48 hours both in the 100m and 200m at Jamaica’s Olympic trials. Blake’s 100m time of  9.75 seconds was 0.11 seconds better than Bolt’s; his 200m time of 19.80 seconds was also 0.03 seconds ahead of his compatriot.

However, Bolt returned to show his superiority on the big stage, beating Blake (9.75 seconds) to the 100m Olympic gold in London 2012 in a time of 9.63 seconds.

The truth is we may never have gotten to see the best of Blake. Talent-wise, Blake and Bolt had almost the same level.

What does Usain Bolt have to say about Yohan Blake?

Interestingly, Usain Bolt doesn’t see Yohan Black as much of a rival. During a recent interview with John Obi Mikel, Bolt revealed that Justin Gatlin is the man that has kept him on his toes, the most.

"I think Justin Gatlin, I have to give my hats off to him," Bolt said. "The last five, six years of my career, it was me and him every season. He kept me on my toes throughout, and I loved the competition."

In 2019, Bolt called out young Jamaican athletes including Yohan Blake for not working hard enough, as reported by Reuters.

"I don’t think it is going to get any better because I think these youngsters are a little bit spoiled.”

“When I was around I think the motivation was there and we worked hard and the level was high, but now that I have left the sport, I feel like it has dropped.”

Bolt also pointed to the decision of Blake and other Jamaican athletes to split from legendary track coach Glen Mills, as per NBC Sports.

"[Mills] took you to the highest level that you have ever been. They probably won’t get back to that level, but he has brought you there. ... If you don’t work hard and you don’t train hard, how can you be great?

“I’ve spoken to all these young athletes from Bailey-Cole to Blake, all of them, I’ve had conversations. You know what I mean? They don’t want to hear it.” 

Final Thoughts

Usain Bolt is a generational talent. He remains the benchmark for sprinters and his records may not be broken for so many decades.

Yohan Blake on the other hand is the second greatest athlete in Jamaica’s history, but it’s a shame injuries didn’t allow us see his brilliance on many occasions, including at the just-concluded Paris 2024 Olympic - it might well be the end of the 34-year-old’s career.

However, I do hope that one day when Yohan Blake has joined Usain Bolt in hanging his spikes, both countrymen can put their rivalries aside and celebrate like brothers - the hallmark of true sportsmanship.