'I can go faster': Kelowna's Jerome Blake reflects on Canadian record

As he approaches his 30th birthday, Kelowna's very own Olympic champion sprinter, Jerome Blake, appears to be hitting his stride.

An admittedly slow cooker, Blake has grabbed the athletics headlines at a relatively older age, and raised expectations for the years ahead, by breaking the Canada record for the 200-metres.

He ran 19.95 seconds, breaching the sub-20 second barrier for the first time in his career at last week's national championships in Ottawa. That followed his first a sub-10 second dash of 9.97 seconds in Germany in June.

These landmarks come after his glittering role as part of the Canadian men's 4x100m Olympic gold medal win in Paris last summer.

Blake told Ara from 103.1 Beach Radio during a chat at the Apple Bowl, that he believes he can still go faster ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo in September and, hopefully, the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

"I'm going to have to be ready for each race because it's going to be very fast. I'm starting to believe; the coaches I've had the last year have taught me a lot and pushed the confidence I need to be a consistent sub-10 guy," he said.

"I know I can go fast, I just don't know how fast."

Ara pointed out, not entirely jokingly, that the 200m world record of 19.19 by sprint legend Usain Bolt could be within his grasp because he still has time to get faster. But Blake is being realistic and humble.

[My time of 19.95] seems not far, but he's there and I'm back here," Blake explained pointing to the Apple Bowl straight and the many metres he'd still be behind the Jamaican legend.

As for the next Olympics, Blake said he's still young and strong enough to make that part of his plans.

"I'm running fast, I feel strong and confident. Three years away from L.A., I'm locked in and focused on that."