Tokyo Olympics 2020: Yohan Blake says athletics has changed a lot since Usain Bolt's retirement

Mumbai: Ace Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake on Monday said he is eyeing nothing less than a gold medal in next year’s Tokyo Olympics, his last appearance at the quadrennial extravaganza. “It is going to be my last Olympics and definitely I am going for the gold,” said Blake, who already has two gold and two silver medals in the Olympics. “I have got plenty of medals in the past, but this will be the icing on the cake for me,” he said here. Blake considers himself favourite to clinch the yellow metal in the 100m sprint at Tokyo. [caption id=“attachment_7729301” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Yohan Blake. [/caption] “I’m always the favourite, the second fastest man in the universe. Everyone has to look up to me. Definitely there are some good guys coming and I’ll be looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “I think it is going to be epic, this is the greatest show on earth and everyone is looking for that blue-carpet event, which is the 100m,” Blake added. The Jamaican sprinter was in the city to promote the ‘Road Safety World Series’, a T20 series, which will be held in February next year. Former India captain and Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president Mohammad Azharuddin was also present on the occasion. Blake lashed out at World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe for removing four events, including the 200m race from next year’s Diamond League. “Athletics has changed a lot after Bolt retired, I am not going to lie. The times we are running have slowed down, track and field is dying a little. If he (Coe) can take away the 200m and triple jump, I don’t know if he is trying to build it (track and field) or trying to kill athletics,” he said. “But that’s a stupid move he is making. He must enhance the sport, but he is killing it. It is just madness,” Blake said in his criticism of Coe. The 29-year-old also said that he would start a programme in India to dig out talent. “I tell my West Indies cricketers they have to emulate India — Virat Kohli and all those sort of cricketers. Nothing wrong if they emulate us in sprinting,” he said. “After the Olympics, I am going to start a programme in India to harness the talent here because I met some of them in Doha. There is a lot of talent in India. If we as an outsider come and show them what it takes to go to different level, that is going to be easy.