PAUL Blake felt a sense of relief after it was announced he had been selected for the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.


The T36 athlete, who was one of the first 13 selected for the global competition, will compete in the 400 and 800 metres this September.


He is looking to improve on his silver and bronze medal haul that he collected in London four years ago.


Speaking about his selection, Blake said: “It’s a relief, I’ve worked really hard for it throughout the season and to be selected so early on is an absolute privilege.


“It’s never set in stone until I’m officially selected and it’s great to get the news and it’s a good feeling.


“Winning my 800m in Doha (a Grand Prix event in March) really helped with my selection.


“It’s a huge confident booster being selected so early on and now I have to focus on getting back to full fitness.”


Blake has been suffering from plantar fasciitis since mid-May after winning an event in Sauleda, Spain.


The Dorchester-born athlete is back on the track having put on a pair of running spikes for the first time in three weeks on Monday.


He added: “It (the recovery) is all going to plan. I’m not doing as much running as I would like but that’s because the injury is not completely gone yet.


“I’m managing it at the moment by doing Ultra-G sessions which is a bike session that allows me to unload the impact on my heel.


“I’ve got no concerns. We’ve got a while before we fly out to our training camp in Belo Horizonte, so I’m not in the least bit worried with my preparations.”


With confidence high over fitness, Blake is back in competitive action next week when he features in a 200m event in Exeter.


He will then ramp up his preparations in July, testing the legs in Bristol at the end of the month before heading out to Brazil.


This will be his second Paralympic Games following on from the successes he had in London.