One of Great Britain’s main sprinters Zharnel Hughes is rounding into form even as the outdoor track and field season begins to take shape right here in Jamaica.

After an ordinary performance, where he ran a pedestrian 10.37s to win at the men’s 100m at the first staging of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Qualification Trials Series two weeks ago, Hughes returned to deliver a joint world-leading 10.14s to register a second win last Saturday.

The 25-year-old had to produce one of his trademark late bursts to get the better of his Racers clubmate Oblique Seville, who led the race with fifteen metres to go, but had to settle for second in 10.19s.

While pleased with getting a second win in a row, Hughes believes that he needs to focus on putting a better race together.

“I’m okay with it (the race). It’s not the best execution, but I’m grateful I came away with the win and I’m injury free.

“The work has been going really well, I’m happy where I’m at, it’s just that I need to get this execution down. I’m a bit race rusty still, I definitely think as the season progresses, I’ll get better and better,” he stated.

Great Britain & Northern Ireland won bronze in the men’s 4x100m in Tokyo, Japan, two years ago at the World Relays, and is looking to do even better in Poland in May with the Anguillan-born sprinter confident that his team will put on a good show there.

“We’ve had a lot of Zoom calls, we’ve been discussing it a lot. I definitely think the [Great Britain] team is ready to go there and put on a great performance. It’s all left up to Coach Mills, he is preparing me, getting me out there to compete at the best of my ability.”

Hughes finished his high school studies in Jamaica while attending sixth form at Kingston College and the Intersecondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) “Champs” 100m record holder, says his ties to and love for Jamaica runs deep.

“I love Jamaica, this is my second home. My mom was born here, so Jamaica is like a second home for me. I’m always happy to be here, always happy to compete against the guys, especially guys I have been to school with and youngsters coming up from the club. I’m happy, I feel blended in and I’m grateful to be here,” he sshared.

Having missed the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, due to a knee injury, Hughes is planning to do something special in Tokyo this year.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the Olympics, I have never been and I definitely want to go there this time and give the world a shock of their lives and hopefully give a great performance,” Hughes said.

The sprinter has a personal best of 9.91s in the 100m and will definitely need to go faster to deliver on his promise to provide a shocker for the fans at the Olympic Games.

— Dwayne Richards