Olympic gold medallist Michael Frater, head coach of Dynamic Speed Track Club, believes Ackeem Blake is already ahead of schedule after opening his 2025 100m season with an impressive 10.06-second victory at Velocity Fest 16, held at Jamaica College’s Ashenheim Stadium on Saturday, March 22.
The performance marked Blake’s first 100m outing of the season, following two strength-building 200m races earlier this month. Frater said the goal for the night was simple: execute cleanly and assess where Blake is at this stage of the season.
“We have a long season ahead, so today was really just about working on execution,” Frater explained. “It was more like a warm-up run for him, especially with the Grand Slam meet coming up in two weeks.”
Blake, who performed strongly during the 2024 Diamond League circuit, opted to skip the 2025 indoor season—a move Frater said was intentional following a minor injury sustained after World Indoors last year.
“Last year, after the World Indoors, Ackeem picked up a slight injury that set him back for about a month. We didn’t really talk about it publicly,” Frater revealed. “So this year, we decided to skip indoors altogether. With such a long season, we wanted to make sure he had a solid foundation. So instead of 60s, we opted for 200s to build his strength and endurance.”
Despite still being in full training mode—with no rest or tapering leading into the meet—Blake’s run surprised even his coach.
“Honestly, he’s ahead of where I expected. We’re still training for September, so he’s fully loaded,” Frater said. “That performance tells me he’s more focused, and he’s performing better than last season. He’s not yet where we know he can be, but he’s definitely on track.”
Frater also pointed to Blake’s success on last year’s international circuit as a turning point in his mindset.
“That win in the Diamond League last year really lit a fire in him,” he said. “He’s come into this season with a different level of drive.”
Blake’s next appearance will be at the Grand Slam meet in two weeks, but Frater made it clear that the focus remains on the bigger picture.
“We’re not going to taper him for Grand Slam. It’s more of a bonus meet at this stage,” he said. “The main goal is still the World Championships. For now, it’s just about getting race-ready and sharpening up as we go.”
With a promising opener and a clear roadmap for the season ahead, Ackeem Blake is looking poised for a major year in 2025—one that could elevate him from rising talent to full-fledged global contender.