Zharnel Hughes withdraws from Olympic 200m hours after 100m elimination

The Briton was knocked out of the semi-finals of the 100m in Paris and will now concentrate on the 4x100m relay

Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes after finishing sixth in his men’s 100m semi-final (Martin Rickett/PA). (PA Wire)

British sprinter Zharnel Hughes has withdrawn from Monday night’s Olympic 200m heats due to a hamstring issue.

Hughes, the world 100m bronze medallist, came up short of reaching a second straight Olympic final at that distance on Sunday night after clocking 10.01 to finish 14th of the semi-finalists.

He skipped the European and British championships after sustaining a hamstring injury, but was given a discretionary place and before these Games said he was feeling fit ahead of Paris.

A British Athletics statement said: “Zharnel Hughes has withdrawn from the 200m heats tonight due to a hamstring tightness which requires monitoring for the next 48 hours.

“No decision has been taken as yet in relation to his relay involvement.”

Hughes was hoping he could wrap up some unfinished business in Paris, three summers after he was disqualified from the 100m final for a false start.

The 29-year-old was also part of the British 4x100m relay team in Tokyo who were stripped of silver after CJ Ujah failed a doping test and was banned from the sport for 22 months.

In May, Hughes,  Eugene Amo-Dadzie, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake secured Great Britain a relay spot in Paris at World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.

Heats for that relay begin on Thursday morning, though Hughes could also be saved for Friday’s evening’s final should the British quartet qualify.

Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes following his men’s 100 metres semi-final at Stade de France (Martin Rickett/PA). (PA Wire)

Hughes was hoping he could wrap up some unfinished business in Paris, three summers after he was disqualified from the 100m final for a false start, the first Briton to reach the blue riband showdown in 21 years.

The 29-year-old was also part of the British 4×100 metres relay team in Tokyo who were stripped of silver after CJ Ujah failed a doping test and was banned from the sport for 22 months.

Hughes was part of the 4x100m men’s relay team who, in May, secured Great Britain a relay spot in Paris at World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.

Heats for that relay begin on Thursday morning, though Hughes could also be saved for Friday’s evening’s final should the British quartet qualify.

Asked on the evening of the Olympic opening ceremony if the injury had shifted his perceptions of success in Paris, Hughes’ answer was an emphatic “no”.

He was more forthcoming after failing to make the 100 metres final on Sunday night, saying: “I am disappointed. I gave it my best. You all know I had a hamstring injury.

“It is not the easiest thing to come back from, especially what I had, a grade two on the outside of the (right) hamstring.

“Not getting enough races to be race sharp, that was my issue. Everything had to be rushed. After the injury you start to get the treatment right away.

“If we had more races, you know that I am a better performer than this. Last year we ended with 9.88 on the podium and with a bronze.

“I know what I am capable of. I had to be battling with an injury.

“It kind of sucks, last minute just before the Olympics, but I am a fighter. I am very determined, and that’s why I wanted to give it a go.

“I got the training in but the races is what I needed to get me race sharp.

“As a competitive athlete, you want to be a part of the mix. I rarely miss out on finals, so this is one a bit hard to swallow.

“I will just move on from here. The road sometimes can be rocky, there are days that you guys don’t see the work behind the scenes and injuries that come along. We try to give our best. Today I gave it my best.”