Zharnel Hughes ready to rumble in Manchester
Zharnel Hughes takes to the track at the UK Championships this weekend as the new British record-holder in the 100m. He knows victory will not be a formality, though.
“British sprinting has evolved and it’s getting more and more exciting,” he says. “To be a part of that rumble, is something that I look forward to.”
The 27-year-old ran 9.83 in New York last month (pictured below) to break Linford Christie’s 30-year-old national record of 9.97. AW hears that the 1992 Olympic champion was relaxed about the record falling and has the attitude that records are there to be broken. Hughes believes he can run even quicker, too, although that’s more likely later this season with the World Championships unfolding in Budapest from August 19-27.
First he has to earn selection for Budapest at Sportcity in Manchester this weekend and will be up against rivals such as Reece Prescod, the up-and-coming Eugene Amo-Dadzie and the returning CJ Ujah, among others.
He bears no grudge either following Ujah’s drugs test positive that denied Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake an Olympic sprint relay silver medal in 2021. “I am happy for CJ. I am happy that he will be out there," says Hughes. "As I’ve said in the past, every athlete deserves to let the process run and for me I am happy that everything has worked out for me and I’m looking forward to competing against him and many others.”
On racing back in the UK, Hughes adds: “It’s always a pleasure running in front of the Great Britain crowd, especially the Commonwealths in Birmingham last year. I always look forward to competing there. Every time I am in the UK and see the crowd there and the support you get from everyone that comes out, it’s just amazing.”
READ MORE: 10 to watch at the UK Champs
The Anguilla-born, Jamaican-based Brit will also race 200m at the Diamond League in London on July 23 where he faces American sprint stars Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley and Erriyon Knighton among others.
“The Diamond League has not been in London for a while so it will exciting to see the stadium filled up again under the lights and just have an amazing time again putting on the GB vest and showcasing the times that I have.”
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