Jamaican star Blake arrives for GC2018

Sunday, 18 March 2018:

Jamaican sprint star Yohan Blake has touched down in Australia and says he's not leaving without a Commonwealth Games medal.

One of the biggest drawcard names set to descend on the Gold Coast, former 100m world champion Blake arrived in the country early on Sunday morning ready to continue his country's sprinting legacy after the retirement of Usain Bolt.

"I've been watching Australian cricket for years now and finally I'm in the place," Blake said.

"I'm happy to be here, it's really nice."

Blake ran a 9.69 sec 100m in 2012 - making him the second-fastest man on the planet, behind Bolt.

"We want to maintain dominance," he said.

"Usain Bolt is out of the sport so we still want to keep our level up there and want to take everything."

The 28-year-old won silver medals behind Bolt in the 100m and 200m at the London 2012 Olympics and was part of Jamaica's gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team there and in Rio four years later.

He also has a 2011 world championship gold medal in his personal trophy collection but there's a glaring gap that he intends to fill next month, having missed the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow due to injury.

"I don't have a Commonwealth medal and that's something that (has) to be in my cabinet," Blake said.

"(I want to) relax like Usain Bolt and look back and say yes, I have a Commonwealth medal.

"It's going to be something great for me out there."

Blake said he was in good shape ahead of his first time competing in Australia, having run a season-best 10.05 sec a couple of weeks ago.

"I promise to make it fun, I promise to make it worth watching," he said.






AAP