Zharnel Hughes is the British record holder and this year’s world’s best 100m sprinter, who will fight for his first individual title at the World Championships in Budapest American athletes have long dominated the 100m inaugural World Championships in 1983, winning 11 titles in the process, the most of any country.
But for this year’s World Championships, which begin this Saturday – the most prestigious senior level competition outside of the Olympics – British record holder Zharnel Hughes wants to change the score. Takes over the field with the fastest 100m time in 2023 (9.83 seconds) he set at the USATF Grand Prix in New York in June.
The brand ranks Hughes as the 15th fastest ever at the event with a 0.25 seconds behind the world record set by eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.
Hughes, who competed in three World Championships during his career, won two silvers in the 4×100 meter relay. And while he was close – runner-up in the 100m at previous world championships – Hughes has never won an individual gold medal. Success at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, August 19-27 will see Hughes become the second representative of Great Britain to win the men’s 100m title. Here are 10 things you should know about the world’s fastest man in 2023:
Here are the 10 things you should know about the world’s fastest man in 2023:
- Has multiple passports, Zharnel Hughes, 28, was born and raised on the island of Anguilla, a British territory in the Eastern Caribbean, which is only 16 miles long and three miles long, and one and a half wide. He holds British and Jamaican nationality. As a youth, Hughes competed in Anguilla, which is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee. In 2015 he decided to switch his commitment to representing Great Britain in international competitions.
- He was an athlete at the age of 10. Hughes comes from a running family on his father’s side, and his two younger brothers ran high school. He started the sport at the age of ten and often passed (and beat) his peers. He competed in various track and field events including the high jump, long jump, 400m, and 1500m. “It was the annual sports day [at school], my first competition. I ended up winning seven medals: five gold and two silver. “I received the trophy for the most outstanding athlete of the day,” said Hughes. It gave him a first and strong taste of what he could be capable of on the Circuit
- He often trained with Usain Bolt Crescendo and Hughes watched YouTube videos of elite Jamaican sprinters like world record holder Usain Bolt as Yohan Blake, the third fastest man in history. Hughes wished he had trained with them when he moved to Jamaica as a teenager to join the Racers Track Club, where he raced from legendary trainer Glen Mills. Hughes describes his first face-to-face encounter with Bolt in 2012 as surreal. “I walked across the grass. On the left, I saw Usain. He looked like a giant. He went too.”I just started imitating everything he did. I do not know why. I was young, I was 16 years old. I looked at Usain in shock,” Hughes recalled. “Here is the fastest man in the world.”I’m right next to him!
- Train with young sprinters Hughes changed his training schedule to train at the gym in the morning and do a two-hour sprint session in the afternoon. adding, “They’re fast, they push me and I like a challenge.”
- Nearly Beaten Olympic Champion Hughes credits the narrow defeat of Usain Bolt in the 200m in 2015 at his first Diamond League meeting – the Adidas Grand Prix in New York – as one of his most memorable races.”Just before I turned the corner, I realized I was dating Usain. I started running for my life,” Hughes said. “I got to the finish line and I was still with him. I tried to lean forward but his stride was longer than mine, the whole stadium thought I won.”Everyone said “No!” The race made headlines in Anguilla and Hughes remembers the motorcycle parts and banners that bore his name.
- He is currently the British record holder:
On the morning of June 24, 2023, before starting the New York Grand Prix, Hughes clocked an estimated race time of 9.83 seconds. He achieved just that, and it was a win that shaved 0.04 seconds off the British record set by Jamaican-born British Olympic champion Linford Christie at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart
- He lost his chance to win an Olympic medal:
- He is food conscious:
Hughes began investing in his diet at the age of 18. To date, his diet is very conservative, influenced in part by a close friend who is a bodybuilder. Her morning routine includes a fruit smoothie, preferably bananas, pineapple, watermelon, and melon. Sometimes spinach and oatmeal are mixed. Its protein base consists of boiled eggs, omelets, fish, and chicken. She likes to hydrate with coconut water daily and never leaves the house without a snack, usually a Nature Valley granola bar. “Nutrition helps a lot, believe me,” Hughes said. “It helps prevent injuries. Because your body is always nourished, it doesn’t feed itself.” While she was kicking her addiction to chocolate cake, she maintains a ritual of having a bowl of cornflakes before bed, which she says helps her fall asleep. On rare occasions, he goes crazy over a Burger King cheeseburger.
- He likes to stretch during the flight:
During the flight, Hughes goes to the back of the plane to stretch. “I don’t care if anyone is watching me,” she said. Once he’s landed, try to get around by walking 50 meters on the hotel sidewalk for a maximum of 15 minutes, or put on compression boots and then have his legs rinsed by a physical therapist.
- Can fly an airplane:
