Britain’s fastest man over 100m has revealed how he escaped robbery and death by a whisker while training in Jamaica in 2018.
The 29-year-old who broke former Olympic champion ‘s British record that stood for 30 years last year after he ran 9.83 seconds, told that the incident was surprising.
Zharnel Hughes and his longtime girlfriend have announce they are expecting their first child.
Hughes trains with the Racers Track Club in Jamaica under iconic coach Glen Mills, who guided to his eight Olympic gold medals. The sprinter had a gun pointed in his face in January 2018 as an armed robber confronted him in the car park of his training base at the University of West Indies in Kingston.
Shots were fired in Hughes’ direction as he sprinted away but luckily none of them hit the target. Recalling the incident, Hughes said: «I was at the trunk of my car putting on my sneakers and I saw this shadow in front of me. Then this guy is asking me for my phone and wallet.
«I was thinking, ‘What?’ and then I see his gun. So then it is, like, ‘OK, is this actually happening to me?’ he quipped «It was one of those panic situations. The gun is pointing at my stomach and my face and then I just got the smallest window because, I don’t know, he was looking away for a second. I took my chance.»
Following a challenging season marked by injury, the Olympic bronze medalist is determined to come back stronger in 2025.
Hughes revealed the commotion that ensued as shots were fired all over the place. «I just jumped down and hid under a car. Shots were being exchanged and the guy starts running away and firing wild shots all over the place. When it was over, I got out and saw there was a girl who uses the track and she was having an asthma attack. It was all just a few seconds but, wow.»
Hughes was back on the track 30 minutes after the incident, showing his commitment to the cause.
Following a challenging season marked by injury, the Olympic bronze medalist is determined to come back stronger in 2025. Hughes goes into next season with great ambitions and hopes to be in the form of his life to deliver everything he wanted to achieve in 2024 after the Paris bronze.