The 2024 Paris Olympics are just 73 days away and the USA’s track and field stars are brimming with golden hope. From Noah Lyles to Sha’Carri Richardson, the country’s contingent is shaping up on a grand scale. However, last Saturday at the Jamaica Invitational, a bump on the road caused by British sprinter Zharnel Hughes might invite some anxiety to Team USA’s hopes of bringing home the gold from the big stage.

In the men’s 200m event in Kingston, Zharnel clinched the top spot after he crossed the finishing line ahead of Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley: both of the latter carrying a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. And now, fresh from his recent victory on the road to Paris, Zharnel sent out another message to his international foes.

In a recent interview with The Jamaica Gleaner, the Brit seemed to be bustling with enthusiasm. Becoming the seventh athlete in 2024 to go below the 20-second mark in the 200m event, Zharnel made bold statements to put his foes on high alert. “You can’t sleep on me…I’m just as good as anyone right now. I’m among the best.” said Hughes without holding back on his perception about what’s about to go down at the French capital in July. Indeed, Hughes has lifted himself to that pedestal from where he can announce that.

The year 2023 saw Hughes rising to that height. At the New York City Grand Prix last year, he ran 9.83s to pull off victory at the 100m. With that, he broke Linford Christie’s 30-year-old British record. Just a few days after that he ran 200m in 19.73s breaking John Regis’ record. This run culminated in a podium finish at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Hughes became the first British man to make the world 100m podium in 20 years as he claimed his first individual global medal there. But the road to the top has been trodden with heartbreaks for Hughes.

His Olympic dreams were shattered in the years 2016 and 2020. While in Rio, it was injury, a false start in Tokyo took it away from him. But according to Hughes, he has taken that on his stride to be more focused and develop as an athlete. “Confidence has always been there. Belief was where the issue was. Now I have tapped into that rhythm where my belief has been aligned with my confidence and, along with my speed, we’re seeing the performances,” Hughes had said a few days back. Indeed, that is showing its colors. But his opponents are no lesser.

While Coleman and Kerley are justifiably two of the biggest hopes for Team USA to bring gold from Paris, they wouldn’t be the only ones who will have to tread carefully when going up against Hughes. The American squad is staked, but Zharnel is ready to give them a run for their money’s worth, especially with a unique approach to setting his goals.

Zharnel Hughes shapes his targets in writing

Zharnel Hughes has been known to write down his target time on a vision board on the wall of his living room at his home in Jamaica. And on many occasions, he has brought those out in reality. This time, on way to Paris, Hughes surely has the list of his opponents written on that board! And that inspires nothing but awe.

Apart from Kerley and Coleman, the USA will also bolster its bid for the men’s 200m event with names like Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles at the upcoming Olympics. At the recently concluded Doha Diamond League, Bednarek impressed fans with his victory in the same 200m race while clocking a stupefying 19.96 seconds. The performance even elicited a reaction from the six-time World Championships winner Lyles, who claimed that his teammate’s speed won’t matter when they meet on the grand stage on the bank of the Seine River.

On the other hand, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, USA’s Kyree King and Courtney Lindsey, and Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh all have strong claims on the 200m event and are expected to go all-out on the track in July. And yet, Zharnel Hughes can’t stop feeling the adrenaline after his latest victory: “I’m healthy, I’m happy, and I’m running fast“, stated the British athlete. “My coach is Glen Mills…He’s the best coach you can ever have. I trust his guidance and I know I’ll be fine“, noted the sprinter. Mills was the pillar behind Usain Bolt’s legendary career. So with all these, what time Hughes plan to write for the Olympics?

“I haven’t written a time for Paris. The time doesn’t matter there as long as I get a medal. The Olympics could be won in 10 seconds flat,” says Hughes. It seems like he is going into the big games with a blank cheque in hand! Any figure can fill that up. The field is wide-open!