Usain Bolt helped me become world’s fastest man, I had to sprint from a gunman and want to become a pilot after athletics
Zharnel Hughes is the world's fastest man in 2023 and the quickest British sprinter ever.
The 27-year-old completed the 100m in 9.83 seconds earlier this year, breaking former Olympic champion Linford Christie's British record, which had stood for 30 years.
It is the fastest time recorded by any sprinter anywhere in 2023 - and Hughes carries high hopes as the World Championships begin in Budapest.
Hughes and the rest of his generation remain some distance behind the world record pace of 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt in 2009.
But the Brit does boast plenty of similarities to the legendary Jamaican.
Hughes trains with the Racers Track Club in Jamaica under iconic coach Glen Mills, who guided Bolt to his eight Olympic gold medals.
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Bolt is a constant presence at the facility and Hughes is just happy to rub shoulders with the greatest of all time.
“Usain has always been an inspiration,” Hughes told the Telegraph.
“He’s the world’s fastest man and I’m just grateful and privileged to be in the same environment that he once was and to be in the company of coach Mills.
“Usain is somebody I always looked up to. Every time we see each other in the gym, because he goes to the same gym as I, we always fist bump and ask each other how we are doing.
"It’s just a great privilege to be in the same company that he once was.”
Sadly, Jamaica was also the scene of a near-death experience for Hughes.
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The sprinter had a gun pointed in his face in January 2018 as an armed robber confronted him in the car park of his training base at the University of West Indies in Kingston.
Shots were fired in Hughes' direction as he sprinted away but luckily none of them hit the target.
Recalling the incident, Hughes said: "I was at the trunk of my car putting on my sneakers and I saw this shadow in front of me. Then this guy is asking me for my phone and wallet.
"I was thinking, 'What?' and then I see his gun. So then it is, like, 'OK, is this actually happening to me?'
"It was one of those panic situations. The gun is pointing at my stomach and my face and then I just got the smallest window because, I don’t know, he was looking away for a second. I took my chance.
![Hughes [second left] set a new British record for the 100m in June](https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/06/brandon-carnes-united-states-zharnel-827847017.jpg)
"I just jumped down and hid under a car. Then someone else, a licensed firearm holder, came and fired back at him. Shots were being exchanged and the guy starts running away and firing wild shots all over the place. Other athletes were jumping down.
"When it was over, I got out and saw they were lying in the gravel, under the benches. There was a girl who uses the track and she was having an asthma attack. I went to my car and I was sitting there, thinking, 'What was that?' It was all just a few seconds but, wow."
Hughes was back on the track 30 minutes after the incident, showing his commitment to the cause.
The sprinter has another passion and he is already working towards making a career out of it one day.
During his spare time, Hughes uses a flight simulator to practice flying aircraft - and his goal is to become a pilot once his sprinting career is over.
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“That’s what keeps me happy, that’s what keeps me relaxed,” he told the Telegraph.
“I would love to fly on a Gulfstream 650. That’s a beautiful aircraft.”