Yohan Blake, the 2011 World 100-metres champion, has inked a deal with German sportswear manufacturer Puma.
The announcement was made by Puma on their Instagram account two hours ago.
The post featured a picture of Blake and stated, “A new chapter begins. Welcome, @yohanblake to the PUMA family.”
Blake, who will be competing this weekend to secure a spot on Jamaica’s team for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, has been a long-time Adidas athlete throughout his illustrious career.
During his partnership with Adidas as his shoe sponsor, Blake achieved remarkable feats. He claimed the 100m world title in Daegu, South Korea, becoming the youngest man ever to achieve this milestone. In the same year, he clocked an impressive time of 19.26 seconds in the 200m, making him the second-fastest man in history over that distance, only behind his former training partner, Usain Bolt.
Additionally, Blake recorded a lightning-fast time of 9.69 seconds in the 100m the following year, placing him as the second-fastest ever in that event, with Bolt’s 9.58 seconds being the only faster time.
In his quest for a spot on the Jamaican team, the 33-year-old Blake will face a formidable field of rising stars, including Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, De’Andre Daley, and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie.
These athletes are among the 25 contenders vying for a position on the national team.
So far this season, Blake has achieved a season-best time of 10.05 seconds at the FBK Games in Hengelo. This places him as the fifth-fastest Jamaican this year, trailing behind Ackeem Blake (9.89 seconds), Seville (9.95 seconds), Nkrumie (9.99 seconds), and Julian Forte (10.03 seconds).
