KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Olympic Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake has withdrawn from the island’s national championships this week because of a hamstring injury.
Agent Cubie Seegobin says Blake has not recovered from the injury. He says Blake is “steadily improving” but he’s “not at the level for a national championship.”
Blake won the 100 meters at the 2011 World Championships. That earns him automatic qualification for the race at the World Championships in August.
Last season, Blake tied U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay as second-fastest man in history, behind Usain Bolt. He clocked a career-best 9.69 seconds in the 100 meters at an August meet in Switzerland.
Blake’s withdrawal was announced shortly after Jamaican officials suspended sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown while a disciplinary panel rules on a positive drug test at a meet in May.
