Yohan Blake, the 2012 double Olympic silver medallist, has been making the most of the downtime brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic. The 30-year-old sprinter has been spending a lot of his time in training and playing a bit of back-yard cricket.

Like most of the world’s athletes who were preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Blake has been forced into staying home as the countries across the globe attempt to “flatten the curve” on the pandemic that has infected more than 1.5 million persons. More than 102,000 persons have died so far.

However, for Blake who has not won an Olympic medal since his double silver in 2012, the work goes on.

“We are doing some aerobatic fitness work, making sure that we are fit. We all are at a halt now yes, but we have to stay mentally strong,” Blake told Sportstar magazine in India. “The training programme has changed. We are working three times a week now to keep the body in the right shape.

“With the Olympics put off, it is sad, but we can still have a shot at it next year and also, this will help an athlete to be more ready.”

When he isn’t keeping fit, Blake revealed that he spends some time engaging in his favourite pastime, cricket, in his backyard.

“You need to keep yourself motivated, and also watch videos, spend time with the loved ones. That’s all we can do for now,” Blake said.