He is heavily expected to take over the sprint mantle from his friend and former training partner, the legendary Usain Bolt.

But so far, Yohan Blake has been struggling to get it right.

Considering that he had to recover from two serious injuries a few years ago, maybe the expectations are a bit too much… too early for Blake, who in 2011, became the youngest 100m World Champion ever.

After all, the 28-year-old, who is the holder of two Olympic and two World Championship gold medals, is second only to Bolt as the fastest sprinter in athletics history. And he is confident that with time and continued hard work he will get back to his optimum best.

This as he reflected on a disappointing Commonwealth Games outing on the Gold Coast of Australia recently where a slow start saw him being beaten into third by the South African pair of Akani Simbine and Henricho Bruintjies in the 100m.

“I just want to be more mindful of what I’m doing, to focus more and don’t take things too lightly because it is there. It is just for me to go out there and put it together and it will work out in the end. “Coach [Glen Mills] just told me to get back in training and just focus on the start and change it a bit because it wasn’t working for me,” Blake told journalists in a recent interview.

In 2008 when Bolt was asked whether there was any sprinter that could challenge him, Bolt named Blake, saying: “Watch out for Yohan Blake. He works like a beast. He’s there with me step for step in training.”

So how does Blake manage these expectations, especially given the fact that he was not that far behind Bolt’s World records of 9.58 and 19.19 with personal best of 9.69 for the 100m and 19.26 for the 200m?

“Well, you know (IAAF president) Lord Sebastian Coe said something… he said you can’t replace a Muhammad Ali just like how you can’t replace a [Usain] Bolt. So it is just for me to focus on what I do, coach is confident that he is going to get me back there and I am confident as well, I have to just work with him.

“Sometimes my ears tend to be hard, but I just have to listen to him and it will be alright. I might not do what Usain did, but I just want to keep Jamaica on the map same way,” the powerfully built athlete shared.

Given his impressive pedigree, Blake has proven that he is not one to be down and out for too long and is promising to rebound with a strong showing at the third JN Racers Grand Prix inside the National Stadium on June 9.

The declaration came immediately after he revealed how he dealt with his setbacks from injuries in the past.

“You can look at it as an advantage and also a disadvantage because I got two years of rest so my body endures longer in the sport, but it could have damaged me psychologically knowing that I got it (hamstring injury).

“But sometimes you don’t feel it when you are out there. But I have to put that behind me, I am now fit, no injuries and I am happy. So I just want to go to Racers Grand Prix and perform up to standard,” said the former of St Jago High student.

In seeking redemption for their Commonwealth Games misfortunes, Blake and another Racers stalwart Englishman Zharnel Hughes will face a stern test from Great Britain’s Miguel Francis as well as other Jamaicans Kemar Bailey-Cole and Julien Forte in what should be a pulsating dash.

The high class Racers Grand Prix dubbed ‘Stars, The Next Generation’ promises another spectacular showing with a number of the world’s finest young local and international talents are set to converge for what should be another memorable night.

As such, Blake pointed out that he is already taking steps to adjust his form to ensure an improved performance.

“That is why coach is trying to get back my bio-mechanics and everything and as he says I am not listening. So I have to pay more attention to the running form that I had before, so I am just working on that,” the St James native stated.