Team GB sprint star admits European hat-trick bid is mission 'to redeem myself'

Daily Mirror

12 hours ago

The sprinter had a disappointing 2024 summer ruined by injury, missing out on defending his 200m crown before failing to make the 100m final at the Olympics, but is now on the comeback trail
Zharnel Hughes has a European hat-trick on his mind as he begins his road to redemption. The 29-year-old missed out on defending his 200m continental crown at Rome 2024, when he was forced to withdraw from the competition due to a hamstring injury, and failed to make the 100m final at the Olympics which followed.
Hughes then pulled out of the 200m in Paris through injury, with his hamstring again the issue, leaving him determined to put the record straight heading into this summer and beyond.
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"It was very difficult for me." he said. "The injury happened the week before the European Championships and I was looking forward to going back and regaining that title, it was on my mind.
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"I really wanted to go and give the fans a performance they would have liked but sadly injuries do happen in this sport. Hopefully next season I can keep myself healthy, go in there and redeem myself.
"I want to go back and get those titles. I'm definitely looking at it as a chance for redemption."
Hughes already has a glittering European CV to his name, with individual 100m and 4x100m relay golds from Berlin 2018.
Four years later, in Munich, the sprinter lost his title as the fastest man in Europe, narrowly pipped to gold by Italy's Marcell Jacobs in the 100m.
Hughes bounced back to take the 200m title and add a second 4x100m relay gold to his tally but he now wants to go one-step further and is targeting a golden hat-trick on home soil.
"I'm looking forward to getting all three boxes ticked this time, that is my aim,' he said. "My mind is set on it and I'm looking forward to executing it. It would be an amazing accomplishment because I've won all the medals before - but I want to cement the hat-trick."
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The cherry on top of the cake for the sprinter would be lowering his own 100m and 200m British records in front of a packed Alexander Stadium.
"If I can run super fast and break a British record in front of a home crowd, that would be amazing," he added. "I definitely want to lower the record, it's in my plans. In Birmingham 2026, I just want to do a sub-10 performance for the fans and get the win."
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A quarter of a million tickets for the event will go on sale in September, and prices starting from just £10 for adults. Organisers have ambitions to create one of the most talked about European athletics events in history and Hughes wants to put on a show for those who snap up tickets.
"I love the fact that the ticket prices are so flexible because it increases the volume of people in the stadium," he said. "I feel like this is a whole new era to inspire upcoming athletes. The support has always been good in the past but its getting better every time we compete.
"I'm looking forward to going out there and doing that again. They're looking up to us and I'm all about leaving that positive impact on the youth."