Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes believes he is making Usain Bolt proud as he looks to follow in the superstar’s footsteps.
The 28-year-old is eyeing the 100m title ahead of the heats on the opening day the World Championships on Saturday.
He arrives in Budapest as the fastest man in the world this year, having smashed Linford Christie’s 30-year British record in June when clocking 9.83 seconds in New York.
A month later in London he broke John Regis’ national 200m mark when running 19.73secs.
The 100m crown is up for grabs in Sunday’s final in Budapest, with no sprinter dominating since Bolt retired in 2017.
Hughes joined the Racers Track Club at 16 to train with Bolt, who was at the peak of his powers, and under coach Glen Mills and feels he soon grabbed the Jamaican star’s attention.
The 200m European champion said: “It first happened when I ran against Bolt in New York in 2015. I finished second to him, we both went to the finish line together and that’s when I opened his eyes. He noticed I was pretty quick and he was like, ‘Who is this young boy?’
I'm pretty sure now he sees the performances and he's proud of me— Zharnel Hughes on Usain Bolt
“Since then, I think he has always held me at high regard, but injuries came along and stuff came by that’s out of my control. But I’m pretty sure now he sees the performances and he’s proud of me.
“First, Usain didn’t even know who I was. I was just a 16-year-old who came from Anguilla, skinny, looking like a tooth pick.
“But I came there and trained hard because I looked across every day to see what they were doing, how was it they pushed on? I was inspired by being in the presence of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Warren Weir.
“I came there running 10.4 on grass and by the end of the season, I was running 10.20 and then the following year I got down to 10.12. So just being amongst those guys pushed me a lot.
“To be in the presence of greatness was just one of those surreal moments. I just needed to pinch myself a second to realise, ‘Hey, you’re actually here’, but I think I got a little star struck.”
Eugene Amo-Dadzie and Reece Prescod also start their 100m campaigns at the National Athletics Centre.
Defending champion Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles and Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs will all make claims for the podium and Hughes recognises the nature of the race.
“It’s open but I’m bringing my A-game,” he said. “That’s all I know. I’m focusing on myself. I’m not really focused on whoever else is there. I’ll see them at the starting line and we will race towards the finish and see who gets there first.
“I don’t have a prediction, but I want to win. That’s the only thing on my mind, just going out, getting through the rounds and once I’m in the final let it all out.
“It’s a bit tense (in the call room), you can feel the tension and people are just sipping water, looking at you and you hear little grumbles now and then.
“They try to intimidate you, but my head is a bit hard to get into right now. So you can do whatever you have to do, but you’re not going to get into my head.
“I just go there. I sip my water. I look at who I need to look at, put my spikes on and I’m ready to race.”
Katarina Johnson-Thompson also competes on day one of the heptathlon, with Jazmin Sawyers going in long jump qualification, while Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley and Elliot Giles run in the 1500m heats.
