Jerome Blake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jerome Blake

Blake 2022 World Athletics Championships Day 4 - 200 m men Heat
Personal information
Born	(1995-08-18) August 18, 1995 (age 29) Buff Bay, Jamaica
Height	1.90 m
Weight	86 kg
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m: 9.97 (2025) 200 m: 20.04 (2022)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2020 Tokyo 4 × 100 m relay World Championships Gold 2022 Eugene 4 × 100 m relay World Athletics Relays Silver 2024 Nassau 4 × 100 m relay Bronze 2025 Guangzhou 4 × 100 m relay NACAC Championships Gold 2018 Toronto 4 × 100 relay

Jerome Blake (born August 18, 1995) is a Canadian track and field athlete. He is known for his speed in sprint races. Jerome is a key member of Canada's 4 × 100 m relay team. He won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2022, he became a World champion.

Jerome Blake's Athletics Career

Starting Out in Track and Field

Jerome Blake was born in Buff Bay, Jamaica. He first started his track career as a hurdler in the 400 meter race. One day, he was at his brother's soccer game. He decided to test his speed on the track. A coach noticed him and suggested he try sprinting instead.

In 2013, Jerome's family moved to Canada. They first lived in Kelowna, British Columbia, then moved to Burnaby. Jerome became a Canadian citizen in 2018. Before that, he could not compete in many international junior events. He once said that if he had been born in Canada, he might have played ice hockey.

Early Competitions and Relays

Jerome competed for British Columbia at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. He won gold medals in both the 100 m and 200 m races.

After this, Jerome started competing at the senior level. He quickly became a regular member of Canada's relay teams. He won a gold medal at the 2018 NACAC Championships. Jerome also competed at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. He finished sixth in the 200 m race. His relay team placed fourth in the 4 × 100 relay.

Olympic Success in Tokyo

The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerome competed at the Canadian National Trials. He finished second, which earned him a spot on Canada's Olympic team. Just before the Games, he set a new personal best time of 10.15 seconds in Stockholm.

As part of the 4 × 100 m relay team, Jerome initially won a bronze medal. This was in the 4 × 100 m relay event. Later, in February 2022, Great Britain lost its silver medal. This happened after one of their athletes had a doping violation. Because of this, Canada's team was upgraded to a silver medal.

World Champion and More Medals

After the Olympics, Jerome had a very successful year in 2022. He won the 100 m race at the USATF Bermuda Games. He beat famous American sprinters like Noah Lyles. He also won a bronze medal at the British Grand Prix in Birmingham. The Canadian relay team also won gold there. In the 200 m, Jerome won the Golden Spike Ostrava event.

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Jerome reached the semi-finals of the 200 m. He did not advance to the final, but it was his first World Championships. The Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team faced challenges. Their anchor runner, Andre De Grasse, had been sick with COVID-19. However, the team performed very well. They qualified for the final with the third-fastest time.

In the final, the Canadian team caused a big surprise. They beat the strong American team to win the gold medal. The Canadians had smooth baton exchanges, while the Americans made mistakes. This win broke Canada's national record. It was Canada's third gold medal in this event. Jerome ran his part of the race in 8.86 seconds, which was very important for the win.

Jerome was chosen for the 2022 Commonwealth Games team. However, he decided to withdraw after the World Championships. This was to allow him to rest and prepare for the rest of the season.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships were not as successful for the Canadian team. They were eliminated in the early rounds of the 4 × 100 metres relay. This meant they could not defend their World title.

Olympic Gold in Paris

In 2024, leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Jerome joined the Canadian team at the 2024 World Athletics Relays. They won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay. This result also helped them qualify for the Olympics.

At the 4 × 100 metres relay event in Paris, the Canadian team finished third in their heat. They had the slowest time of the eight teams that made it to the final. However, in the final race, the Canadians ran their best time of the season, 37.50 seconds. They won the gold medal in what was considered a huge upset. The American team, who were favorites, had a botched baton exchange. Jerome said the win was "a four person effort coming together to create something that everyone counted us out but us."

At the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, Jerome was part of the Canadian 4 × 100 metres relay team again. They won the bronze medal in the final. This was despite a difficult baton exchange between Jerome and his teammate Aaron Brown.

Jerome also achieved a personal milestone at the 27th Anhalt Meeting in Dessau. He won the 100 metres race in 9.97 seconds. This was the first time in his career he ran under 10 seconds.

Statistics