Zharnel Hughes: British sprinters can 'take on the world'

Muller Anniversary Games
Venue: London Stadium Date: 21-22 July
Coverage: Live coverage on BBC One and BBC Two, with text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Full details

Zharnel Hughes believes the current generation of British sprinters can take on the world's best over 100m.

Hughes, 23, is the fastest Briton in the world this year with a run of 9.91 seconds in Jamaica in June.

However, he was beaten by Reece Prescod at the British Championships and also has last season's Diamond League winner CJ Ujah as a domestic rival.

"We have definitely evolved. I think over the years we can contend with the rest of the world," he told BBC Sport.

"You think about how Reece reached the final of the World Championships last year. It is going to be exciting to see what we Brits can do at this Muller Anniversary Games."

'I definitely like challenging some of the things Bolt's done' - Prescod

Fastest Britons of all time
	Time
1 Linford Christie	9.87	August 1993
2=James Dasaolu	9.91	July 2013
2= Zharnel Hughes	9.91	June 2018
4=CJ Ujah	9.96	June 2014
4=Joel Fearon	9.96	July 2016
6= Dwain Chambers	9.97	August 1999
6= Adam Gemili	9.97	June 2015
8 Jason Gardener	9.98	July 1999
9 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake	9.99	May 2017
10 Richard Kilty	10.01	July 2016

Seven of the 10 fastest Britons of all time set their personal bests in the past five years, although Linford Christie's 1993 mark of 9.87 seconds remains the British record.

Hughes is joined by Ujah, Adam Gemili, Ojie Edoburun and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey in the 100m field at the London Stadium, but they face a formidable foreign challenge.

American world silver medallist Christian Coleman and compatriot Ronnie Baker, who is the joint fastest man in the world this year, will also compete.

Former world champion Yohan Blake and Commonwealth Games champion Akani Simbine are also on the startlist.

Hughes was briefly 2018's fastest man before his 9.91 mark was surpassed by Baker and American compatriots Noah Lyles and Michael Rodgers.

However, Hughes, who is focusing on 100m rather than 200m for the first time since 2014, believes he can improve further.

"Me and my coach are testing the waters to find out how much faster I can go in the 100m. It is working out nicely. I haven't left the 200m behind, but I am just getting my speed up," he added.

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12 comments

Comment posted by hew, at 15:42 20 Jul 2018
Its not to do with funding. Anguilla is not a nation recognised by the IOC and therefore none of the athletes born there can compete at the Olympics. As Anguilla is part of British Overseas Territories, representing the UK was the natural choice.

It is not the same as Middle Eastern countries buying African runners allegiances with high pay packets and sponsorship.
Comment posted by Richiewrotethis, at 13:44 20 Jul 2018
Zharnel is absolutely right. British sprinting is in rude health with CJ Ujah the current Diamond League champion and Reece Prescod also looking world class.

@1 is clearly yet another who thinks sprinting started and finished with Usain Bolt.

As for @2's ridiculous comments, we should be proud that he chose Britain to represent. He could have chosen the Middle East like many others have.
Comment posted by Thank God for Library Computers, at 16:24 20 Jul 2018
zharnel hughes was born in anguilla(which is a british overseas territory & has the union jack included in it's flag & it relies on the uk for it's military defence & most inhabitants speak a variety of standard english!), no real controversy in his conversion to gb!.
Comment posted by Thank God for Library Computers, at 15:37 20 Jul 2018
exciting times for gb sprinting ahead!, also could be a magic time for 4x100 squads!.
Comment posted by a_proud_devil, at 19:17 21 Jul 2018
Good.
Comment posted by Thank God for Library Computers, at 15:49 20 Jul 2018
@, weallstandandfalltogether,
@,2, & ,4, Abbcn,

were all okay with you abstaining from enjoying any future gb success in the sprints!, it will not lower genuine fan appreciation or enjoyment!, we have noted your points & rejected them immediately!.
Comment posted by D1679636544738, at 17:43 20 Jul 2018
Well Kirk I get Anguilla, don’t need a lesson. But I am no more Anguillan than Zharnel is British. In the honest, truest sense. But I don’t championing “British” sprinting. Anyway I wish him well and am not, definitely not, anti Zharnel Hughes and nothing I have said suggests that so I hope no one thinks I am a hater.
Comment posted by TeddyNel, at 10:03 21 Jul 2018
@8 Abbcn I'm fairly sure that if I was born in Anguilla, I'd train in Jamaica as well. The climate's probably more akin to sprint training than say Sunderland or Manchester! But that doesn't change the fact that Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory unrecognised by the IOC, so his running for GB makes perfect sense and should need no defending.
Comment posted by D1679636544738, at 12:43 20 Jul 2018
If Zharnel Hughes wins anything in the near future it will be good for Anguilla. And should be celebrated that way. This is not the Premier League where you stick a shirt on someone and they play for your team. This is about national heritage. So good luck Anguilla, and I do mean that sincerely.
Comment posted by D1679636544738, at 14:14 20 Jul 2018
@3 in what way are they ridiculous comments? All of it clear, concise and true. Fair enough if you want to support anyone who puts on a GB shirt - that’s no issue at all. I would just rather feel that the person has some relationship to GB other than that their country won’t fund them equally at this point in time. It’s fake. And this is not about colour or anything else.
Comment posted by D1679647472161, at 12:06 20 Jul 2018
British sprinters can only cope because the rest of the world just got a lot slower.

Err any BIG world stars turning up to this bbc or will it be another British championship event?
Comment posted by D1679636544738, at 16:11 20 Jul 2018
@6 Never intended to labour the point but just so as not to sound like a complete ignoramus... He was born in Anguilla. He’s half Jamaican, trained & competed in Jamaica. Chose GB because, one suspects, would receive more funds & would be no1 or close to it (as opposed to the competition for places in Jamaica). Whatever. He’s Caribbean and therefore running as a willing tourist for GB.