Dominique Blake
Personal information
Born (1987-02-15) 15 February 1987 (age 37)
Mount Vernon, New York
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
University teamPenn State University
Medal record
Athletics
Representing  Jamaica
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Mayagüez Women's 4x400

Dominique Blake (born 15 February 1987) is a Jamaican track and field athlete. Blake won a gold medal at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games and was accidentally awarded a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was banned for 4+1⁄2 years after testing positive for methylhexanamine and returned to athletic competition in 2017.

Early life and education

Blake was born on 15 February 1987 in Bronx, New York. She began her career as an indoor track and field athlete in 2002 before she started to compete in outdoor track and field events the following year.[1][2] Blake spent four years as an athlete for Penn State University starting in 2004[3] and graduated from Penn State with a communications degree.[4]

Career

NCAA

As a NCAA athlete, Blake was 12th in the 4x400 meter relay with Penn State at the 2006 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.[5] The following year, Blake and her 4x400 meter relay team was 4th at the 2007 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. During the 2007 indoor championships, Blake and her three teammates finished in 13th in the distance medley event.[6] At the 2008 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, Blake and her teammates were 5th in the 4x400 meter relay. At individual events for the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships, Blake did not advance past the 400 meters heats and finished 17th overall.[7]

Other events

At the 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Blake was disqualified after she failed a drug test for ephedrine. Following the event, Blake was banned from competitions for nine months.[8] During the 2008 United States Olympic Trials, Blake was 23rd overall in the 400 meters after she did not advance farther than the preliminaries.[9]

For Jamaica, Blake participated at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games where she won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 meters relay.[10] At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Blake was 12th in the 4 x 400 meters relay with the Jamaican team that did not reach the final.[11][12] For the 400 meters at that year's Commonwealth Games, Blake got to the semi-finals and finished overall in 18th place.[13][11] She also was at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships but did not win a medal.[14]

In July 2012, Blake became part of the 4 x 400 meters Olympic team for Jamaica.[15] Although Blake was a part of Jamaica's team that qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Blake never actually ran at the London Olympics. Despite not running in the women's 4 × 400 m event, Blake was accidentally awarded an Olympic bronze medal by the Jamaica Olympic Association.[16] She did not return the medal, however.[16] In 2013, Blake was suspended for six years after she tested positive for methylhexanamine.[17] That year, Blake asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to grant her a shorten ban.[18] After her ban was lowered to 4+1⁄2 years in 2014,[19] Blake came back into competition in January 2017.[4] Later that year, in compliance with International Association of Athletics Federations rules that mandate the return of all medals and prizes after positive testing for forbidden substances, Blake gave back her Olympic bronze medal to the Jamaica Olympic Association.[16]

At the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Blake was on the Jamaican team that won their 4 × 400 metres relay heat and qualified for the final. At the 4 x 400 meters final, Blake was not one of the runners for Jamaica when the team was disqualified after the race.[20][21] During the 2018 National Relay Championships, Blake was sixth in the 400 meters and did not finish the final of the 800 meters.[22] The following year, Blake was fourth in the 400 meters at the 2019 National Relay Championships.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Dominique Blake". World Athletics. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Dominique Blake – Player Profile". Eurosport. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Blake banned for six years for failing doping test". Associated Press. Associated Press. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  4. ^ a b Walker, Howard (30 January 2017). "Dominique Blake returns from ban". Jamaican Observer. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. ^ "2006 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Complete Results". U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "2007 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Complete Results". U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "2008 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Complete Results". U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "USA Track & Field Athlete Blake Accepts Sanction for Doping Violation". USADA. October 18, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  9. ^ "2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field". USA Track & Field. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Lannaman, Jermaine (31 July 2010). "Smith gets decathlon gold at CAC". Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Dominique Blake". Commonwealth Sport. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Athletics 4 x 400m Relay - Women Delhi 2010". Commonwealth Sport. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Athletics 400m - Women Delhi 2010". Commonwealth Sport. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Telegraph Sport (3 October 2012). "Jamaican athletes Dominique Blake and Ricardo Cunningham face bans for alleged doping". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  15. ^ Lowé, Andre (July 10, 2012). "Jamaica select 50 for Olympic Games... Fennell confident in team heading to London". The Gleaner. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Walker, Howard (23 June 2017). "Dominique Blake finally returns bronze medal". Jamaican Observer. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  17. ^ Raynor, Kaynor (13 June 2013). "Dominique Blake gets six year ban for doping". Reuters. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Jamaican sprinter Dominique Blake appeals 6-year ban for doping". CTV News. The Associated Press. October 25, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  19. ^ Press Association (5 May 2014). "Dominique Blake has drug ban reduced from six to four and a half years". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  20. ^ "IAAF World Indoor Championships 4 x 400 Metres Relay Women - Round 1" (PDF). International Association of Athletics Federations. Birmingham. March 3, 2018. pp. 1–2. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  21. ^ "IAAF World Indoor Championships 4 x 400 Metres Relay Women - Final" (PDF). International Association of Athletics Federations. Birmingham. March 4, 2018. p. 1. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  22. ^ "National Relay Championships". Track & Field Results Reporting System. Fayetteville, Arkansas. April 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  23. ^ Hollobaugh, Jeff (May 2019). "National Relays — List Leaders For Jenna Prandini". Track & Field News. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

External links

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