Dennis Anthony Blake (born 6 September 1970 in

Saint Elizabeth Parish Saint Elizabeth, one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the widest on the island. History Saint Elizabe ...

) is a retired male sprinter from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. He is a two-time Olympian, winning the bronze medal at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, where he ran in the qualifying heats.

Career

Blake was awarded a two-year scholarship to attend

Blinn Junior College Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. Brenham is Blinn's main campus, with dormitories and apartments. History Blinn was established as Mission Institute in 1884 ...

, in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Having gained recognition for his athletic performances, he was awarded thirty-nine athletic scholarships to attend universities throughout the United States, including

Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. AAMU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marsh ...

, his alma mater. During his track & field career at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), Blake was the recipient of numerous awards and recognition. The nine-time All-American was selected as the "Most Valuable Player" at the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black c ...

(SIAC) championship winning the Abbott Award. Blake competed in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in Barcelona, Spain where he was the official Jamaica flag bearer. Blake also claimed a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games in

Mar del Plata, Argentina Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

in the men's 4x400 metres relay, alongside Orville Taylor, Roxbert Martin, and Michael McDonald. Blake set his personal best in the men's 400 metres (45.68) on 2000-06-18 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 1996, under the tutelage of AAMU track and field program coach, Walter Tullis, Blake represented

at the

and won a bronze medal.

Results

Recognition

* In 2006, he was inducted into the

Athletics Hall of Fame * City of Huntsville, Alabama - Resolution No. 96-791 * Resolution of the Madison County Commission

References

*
1970 births Living people People from Saint Elizabeth Parish Jamaican male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for Jamaica Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade silver medalists for Jamaica Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games {{jamaica-athletics-bio-stub