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Hughes takes 200m gold with UK Championships record time
Dina Asher-Smith and Zharnel Hughes secured 200m victories at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham, both breaking competition records in the process.
Asher-Smith, a former world champion, clinched the women’s race in a closely contested photo finish, edging out 100m winner Amy Hunt with a time of 22.14 seconds.
Hughes completed a sprint double in the men’s event, clocking 19.90 to complement his 100m victory from Saturday.
Both athletes have secured their places in the 200m for the World Championships in Tokyo this September, as the weekend also served as the British trials.
Athletes were required to finish in the top two and meet the World Athletics entry standard to guarantee their selection for the squad, which will be announced on August 27.
Olympic 1500m medallist Georgia Hunter Bell emerged victorious in the 800m final, earning her spot in Tokyo, where she may compete against training partner and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson.
Max Burgin delivered a dominant performance to win the men’s 800m, while Charlie Dobson and Amber Anning, considered title favorites, claimed gold in the 400m events.
World 1500m champion Josh Kerr, already assured of a place in the squad for that event, took a comfortable victory in the 5,000m, even finding time to acknowledge the crowd in the final stretch.
High jumper Morgan Lake and long jumper Jazmin Sawyers also solidified their Tokyo berths on the concluding day of the two-day competition.
Following his 100m victory, which he dedicated to his aunt whose funeral he was unable to attend, Hughes returned to the track to overpower his competitors and reaffirm his status as the UK’s leading male sprinter.
Hughes, the British record holder in both the 100m and 200m, followed up his wind-assisted sub-10 performance on Saturday by surpassing Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake’s 200m championship record of 20.05.
After finishing ahead of Jona Efoloko (20.42) and Ethan Wiltshire (20.51), Hughes, a world 100m bronze medallist, commented, “It felt fantastic. I can go a lot faster.”
“My coach will get me much sharper. There’s still more than a month to go.”
Asher-Smith, who opted not to compete in the 100m, achieved a season’s best in the women’s 200m, securing the title despite a strong challenge from Hunt in the closing stages.
“It was an excellent race. I didn’t know who had got it. The ladies ran amazingly and it bodes well for the relay,” Asher-Smith remarked.
“I’m in great shape, it was a great run and there are still a few things I can tweak, so I’m happy.”
Hunt was awarded the same time – under Asher-Smith’s previous record of 22.18 – as Daryll Neita clocked 22.30 for third, following her disqualification in the 100m final due to a false start.
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