Even while revealing that he spending more time perfecting his 100m, 2018 European champion Zharnel Hughes said he is considering taking on the sprint double at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar at the end of September.
In 2018, Hughes had his best year in the 100m racing to a personal best of 9.91 in Kingston that June. It was the fifth fastest time in the world, and faster than the 9.95 he clocked while winning the blue ribbon event at the European Championships in Berlin and Glasgow in August.
However, the 23-year-old Hughes is not likely to rest on his laurels. He believes doing that could be harmful to his plans to be even better in 2019.
“The World Championships are quite far so I am learning to be patient and learn as I go along. That includes getting stronger in the gym and working on my phases in training, learning to understand the event more,” he said of his plans to improve over the 100m. “2018 is 2018, I am not going to dwell on that too much because you will get lost in the past so I am trying to focus and do just as well in 2019.”
In early 2018, Hughes told reporters that he was not good enough to compete indoors because he simply was fast enough. He said the hard work he put in afterwards has perhaps helped him change that point of view.
“Most definitely! My coach (Glen Mills) has been teaching me a lot over the 100, so each phase in that 100, adds up to a fast time. I was patient enough and I understood the event a lot better last year, hence the reason why I was able to go sub-10, and this year I am hoping to go even faster,” he said.
Had it not been for a disqualification, Hughes would have added a 200m Commonwealth Games title to his list of medals last year. He was stripped of first place after crossing the line first when he was deemed to have obstructed Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards at the line.
In spite of that, he has not turned his back on the event.
“My coach and I are working a lot on the 100 but I have not given up on the 200,” he said. “Hopefully, according to plans we are looking to double up at the World Champs.”
Source: Leighton Levy
www.sports24ghana.com
