Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake
 Mitchell-Blake at the 2016 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 April 1994 (age 22) |
| Education | Louisiana State University |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] |
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Sprint |
| Club | Louisiana State University Tigers[2] |
| Coached by | Dennis Shaver[2] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) |
100 m – 10.09 (2016) 200 m – 19.95 (2016)[3] |
Nethaneel Joseph Mitchell-Blake (born 2 April 1994) is a British track and field sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres. He was the 2013 European Junior Champion and his personal best of 19.95 seconds ranks him as the second-fastest in Britain of all-time in the event.
Career
Born to Joseph Blake and Audrey Mitchell-Blake in Newham, London,[4] his family relocated to Jamaica when he was age thirteen. Having already competed extensively as a child in England,[5] his talent for sprinting was recognised by Jamaica College, who took him on, and he competed at the Inter-Secondary Schools Boys and Girls Championships.[6] After a 200 m win at the 2011 Jamaican junior championships in a personal best of 21.54 seconds, he was selected to compete for Great Britain at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics and finished fifth in his semi-final.[3][http:
Mitchell-Blake was recruited by Louisiana State University and began to compete for them collegiately with the LSU Tigers team. In his freshman year in 2013 he was a 200 m semi-finalist at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and took fourth in the 4 × 100 metres relay there. In the relay he had top three finishes in the Southeastern Conference in both the 4 × 100 metres relay and 4 × 400 metres relay.[4] He represented Great Britain at the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships and was the 200 m champion, having set a best of 20.62 seconds. He also helped his country to fifth in the relay.[7]
In his second year at Louisiana he failed to improve after an injury-affected indoor season, having a best of 20.69 seconds. He was again a semi-finalist at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, though he claimed his first top three finish there with LSU in the 4 × 100 metres relay.[4] He was arrested on suspicion of rape and was suspended from the university while investigations were ongoing. Ultimately no charges were brought, though by the time this was resolved the academic year had ended.[6]
Upon his return to competition in 2016, he set new bests. In the 60 metres he ran 6.65 seconds and in the indoor 200 m he completed the distance in 20.57 seconds. At the Southeastern Conference (SEC) indoor championships he won the 200 m after another best of 20.51 and also placed seventh in the 60 m. He entered the longer event at the 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and finished as runner-up.[5] In the outdoor season, he ran 10.09 seconds for the 100 metres in April, putting him at the top of the seasonal British rankings.[6] He marked a breakthrough at the SEC Outdoor Championships, coming within one hundredth of the British record for the 200 m with his winning time of 19.95 seconds. He completed a regional triple by taking the 100 m individual and relay events, too.[8]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | World Youth Championships | Villeneuve d'Ascq, France | 5th (semis) | 200 m | 21.61 |
| 2013 | European Junior Championships | Rieti, Italy | 1st | 200 m | 20.62 |
| 5th | 4 × 100 m relay | 40.09 | |||
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 5th | 200 m | 20.60 |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 11th (sf) | 200 m | 20.25 |
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. |
- ↑ Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. rio2016.com
- 1 2 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. nbcolympics.com
- 1 2 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake profile at IAAF
- 1 2 3 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. LSUSports. Retrieved on 30 May 2016.
- 1 2 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. Power of 10. Retrieved on 30 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 Bloom, Ben (19 May 2016). Rio Olympics 2016: Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake – from unknown student to Great Britain's new sprint hope. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2016-05-30.
- ↑ Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 30 May 2016.
- ↑ Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake: Louisiana student close to British 200m record. BBC Sport (16 May 2016). Retrieved on 2016-05-30.