Tom takes record No.3 in his stride
The Anguilla-born star came within 0.06secs of Linford Christie’s 25-year old British 100m record inside the Olympic Stadium yesterday.
And after clocking 9.93secs to beat former world champion Yohan Blake and finish behind only US star Ronnie Baker at the Muller Anniversary Games, Hughes reached for the sky.
“I can definitely cope (with the favourite’s tag),” said the 23-yearold, who is coached in Jamaica by Glen Mills, the guiding force behind Bolt’s record-breaking career.
“Coach Mills has been great for me this season. He’s made me mentally strong.
“For me, it’s just about not getting ahead of myself.” Hughes needed every ounce of that mental toughness to escape an armed robber who shot at him in the Jamaican capital in January.
He called on it again to deal with the devastation of being disqualified for obstruction after ‘winning’ Commonwealth Games 200m gold in April. And it served him well yesterday when five of IT was a walk in the Olympic park for Tom Bosworth as he claimed his third world record in a year.
The 28-year-old came down from a mountain, where he had been altitude training, to pocket £11,500 for winning the fastestever 3km race walk in 10mins 43.9secs at the Muller Anniversary Games.
He already holds the world record for the distance indoors, his opponents exploded out of their blocks en route to sub-10 times.
“The Commonwealths definitely toughened me up,” he said.
“I said to myself, ‘I’m never going to let something like that happen again’.” Hughes is already joint-second fastest on adding to the mile best he set at the same event last year.
Bosworth said: “Race walking is not a glamorous event, it doesn’t get the big paydays, so a day like today you have to make the most of.”
The Kent-born star is high on confidence after winning the all-time British 100m list, courtesy of his 9.91secs run in Kingston last month.
He is level-headed enough not to assume Christie’s record from 1993 will soon be his.
On the other hand he won’t discount one day emulating Bolt (below with Mills). “I don’t believe what Usain has done is impossible for us,” he said. “Right now, as you can see, track and field is starting to evolve. “Youngsters are starting to come up and perform really well.
“Everyone wants to fill Usain’s shoes, but I’m just trying to fill my own right now.
“Usain has paved the way for all of us, but for me it’s about Commonwealth silver in April and likes his chances in the 20km at next month’s Europeans, for which he is ranked fourth. “Race walking is cleaner than it’s ever been,” he said. “It was always the same nation, same people winning medals. Not any more.
“I now feel I’m able to win going out there and being Zharnel Hughes.”
Matt Hudson-smith will also go to the Euros in Berlin ranked No.1, even if his season’s best 44.63secs was only good enough for sixth place in a high-class 400m.
“There’s still a lot to learn, a lot to work on, but it is coming together slowly and surely,” he said.
Record
Performance of the day came from two-time Olympic champion Shelly-ann Fraser-pryce, 31, who won the women’s 100m in 10.98secs – 11 months after giving birth to her son Zyon.
“It’s hard work racing after having a child,” she gasped.
Attention today switches to Laura Muir’s attempt to break the British mile record – and Hughes in the sprint relay on the track where Britain won gold in last summer’s World Championships. whereas maybe 10 or even five years ago I didn’t feel I stood a chance.”
Justice was seen to be done for Christine Ohuruogu, Nicola Sanders, Marilyn Okoro and Kelly Sotherton in front of a disappointing 21,000 crowd at the London Stadium. Britain’s 4 x 400m relay quartet (left) were awarded the Olympic bronze denied them by cheats from Russia and Belarus in Beijing a decade ago.