The European bronze medallist claims his first British 100m title and records the first wind-legal sub-10 performance of his career with a stunning 9.98 in Birmingham.

European 100m bronze medallist Romell Glave produced the performance of his career to win a high-quality men's 100m final at the Novuna UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Saturday (June 20).

The 26-year-old stormed to victory in a wind-legal 9.98 (0.5), securing his first British title and breaking the 10-second barrier legally for the first time.

Glave held off a late challenge from Zharnel Hughes, who recovered from a slow start to finish second in a season's best of 10.01. Louie Hinchliffe and Jeremiah Azu both clocked 10.03, taking third and fourth respectively.

With the European Championships due to be held at the same venue later this summer, Glave's performance sent a strong message to his continental rivals. His 9.98 equals the European lead set by Germany's Owen Ansah earlier this month and makes him only the third European athlete to break 10 seconds this year, alongside Ansah and Italy's Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs.

Glave had dipped below 10 seconds on six previous occasions, but every one of those performances had been assisted by excessive wind. Most recently he ran 9.88 in Savona, where he defeated Jacobs, although that mark was wind-aided.

"I wasn't really worried about the time, today was all about qualification," said Glave. "The time was secondary. It's nice to come back to Birmingham and the crowd were amazing. It makes me even more excited for the Europeans.

"This gold medal has been a long time coming. I knew the quality and potential were there, but I had to believe it. Thanks to my coach and support staff for believing in me through the ups and downs. That helped me believe in myself when there was doubt.

"This season there has been a change in my mindset and today shows what I'm capable of."

Runner-up Hughes said: "Today was just about having fun and getting a race in. Obviously, I'm not 100m sharp yet, but my focus is mainly on the 200m. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what I can deliver."