KINGSTON, Jamaica — “Join me as I embrace the challenges and trust the process on my road to the Olympic Games 2024. Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination.”

Those are the introductory words that will greet users who wish to subscribe to Yohan Blake’s journey to Paris. But, the road to the summer Olympic Games will give insight into far more than the sprinter’s rigid training regime. His trainer, Jae Edwards, says the insider special will highlight the tenacity it takes to bring the star athlete to the mental level needed to tune out the noise and focus on his goals.

“We have seen the background work, the mental fortitude it took for Yohan to come back from a career-threatening injury in 2014 and for him to have been ready for the Olympics and World Championships where he ran sub-10 seconds, that’s not credited in the society enough,” Edwards said.

Outlining that with the Olympic Games months away, now was the perfect time to invite people behind the scenes and show them just how much work it takes to get star athletes to perform at their highest level.

“There’s a handful of athletes like Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Karl Lewis, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Justin Gatlin as well, who perform at their peaks in their mid-to-late 30s,” Edwards said. “Yohan is following a similar path but his story is a deep story that hasn’t truly been told until now.

“Yohan is one of the strongest athletes I know, mentally and physically. He has been coming back for six years and he ran his fastest time last year. Psychologically, what the population needs to know and see is what it takes to get back to peak level.”

Admitting that while star athletes are not uncommon for a country like Jamaica which is arguably the sprint capital of the world, Edwards says athletes are not credited enough for showing a gigantic amount of mental strength in the midst of a sea of critics.

“Yohan would have been training from his St Jago [High School] days to perform at the level that he did and now we’re redoing that,” he said. “I don’t believe people understand the science. It’s years’ worth of training. It doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time. That’s what these sessions will showcase.

“Mentally, we have to undergo training as well to bring the athlete’s confidence back to a certain level because it’s rough out there with all the critics.”

Speaking of critics, Blake himself admits that when the negativity was spewed his way after being unable to meet certain expectations, it took a toll. He shared that he had to learn how to drown out the noise and focus on his dreams.

“Everyone keeps asking me, ‘How do you do it? How do you get better? How do you run this time? How do you get stronger?’, and I want them to know that it didn’t come overnight. I want people to see that my work is not easy and I want to show people that side. I am leaving the sport soon and I want people to know that what I was doing was not easy,” he said. “I want them to remember me as one of the most hard-working athletes. I want them to see the love that I have for this sport and the passion…the drive that I am putting into every rep, every run.

“I have dreams and at first it was hard to deal with the critics. It was tough,” he continued as he recalled a moment of encouragement he shared with countryman Usain Bolt that completely shifted his perspective. “One day I saw how Jamaica stadium boo Usain Bolt and Usain come to training and said, ‘Yohan, when you’re doing this thing, do it for you.’

“From that I tend to just focus on myself and use those critics to my advantage. Prove them wrong all the time. Know what you’re doing is not for them, it’s for you. God gave me a talent and I’m going to use it to show them my art.”

With the Paris Olympics quite possibly being his last hurrah, Blake says he wants Jamaica to remember him as an athlete who ran with a purpose. Having started the Yohan Blake Foundation, the sprinter said he hopes his legacy is more than just fast times on a track or medals and trophies. He wants people to be inspired to present their best selves every time.

“What keeps me focused is the hunger and the drive to do much better than I’ve done in the past,” he said. “I want to leave a mark and a legacy. I am running for a cause. I am running for people to understand that this is an art. I want people to remember Yohan and be inspired to put their best foot forward in spite of.”

Persons interested in joining Blake in his sessions can subscribe at https://yohanblake.uscreen.io/. Subscription costs US$19.99 ($3,110) per month.