Newly crowned men’s 100m Diamond League champion Ackeem Blake said his performance was fueled by the disappointment of his semi-final exit at the recently concluded Paris Olympic Games.
“After a devastating exit in the semi-finals at the Paris. My Team and I decided that we would put all our resources into making and taking the Diamond League,” Blake shared in his via statement on his Twitter.
“In this moment…I was deeply focused on the race,” the World Indoor 60m Champions reflected. “I Could hear my coach[Michael Frater] guiding me through every phase of the race.”
Blake, who looked sharp following his pre-final victory in Switzerland, executed his race plan to perfection, logging 9.93s to dismiss a high-quality field, including former World champions Christian Coleman (10.00s) and Fred Kerley(10.01s), who finished second and third, respectively.
It was Blake’s first Diamond League trophy, and he was one of two Jamaican champions in Brussels, with former Long Jump World Champ Tajay Gayle taking that event for a third time.