The Paris Olympics 2024 is around the corner, and with it, a sense of hopefulness as Great Britain puts forward their most promising athletes. One of whom, Zharnel Hughes, will be heading to Paris with the goal of winning his first Olympic medal.
Hughes enjoyed a hugely successful 2023, breaking two British sprint records. Men’s Health sat down with him to find out what makes a record holder tick, the methods behind his accomplishments and how he handles the pressure.
‘I’m a positive person, my glass is always half-full,’ says Hughes, ‘So any setbacks I have had in my career I have bounced back from, and they have made me stronger. People will point at the Tokyo Olympics and my disqualification in the final, and of course it hurt at the time.’
Hughes had a knee ligament injury which stopped him competing in 2016, and subsequently, at Tokyo 2020, he had a false start in the 100m final which saw him forgo the number one spot. “I could have easily given up with all the adversity that was going on,” he shared, “but I dug deeper and since then I have gone out and broken the British records in both the 200m and 100m.”
Mentored by Linford Christie, Hughes told us, ‘He was as happy for me to break his record as I was to run 9.83s that day.’
Despite the heartbreak of his near misses in previous years, he is spurred on by his accomplishments and is optimistic about this summer’s competition: ‘I am now in a place where I am excited by Paris and what the future holds for me. I am feeling great and breaking those records has given me huge confidence that I belong at the top.’
Hughes will participate in the 100m and 200m races at this year’s Paris Olympics. Of course, competing at international level has its added pressure, which the sprinter welcomes. Hughes admitted, ‘I accept nerves. Because you need nerves to execute your performances, when you’re nervous, but it’s under control, it’s a good thing. It gets you psyched up, it gets you pumped, it gets the adrenaline going, and that way you’re all fired up to ensure that you’re getting the best performance from your body. So I accept nerves.’
‘Sometimes when I’m at home just before a meet, I find myself getting too jittery, so I get up and move with my headphones on, listen to music and I do some stretching,’ says Hughes, ‘I find that a really effective way to calm the nerves.’
When it comes to recovering from intense training sessions and staying in peak shape, physically and mentally, Hughes ensures he cuts down on screen time, takes ice baths, and ticks all the boxes with good quality nutrition and sleep. ‘I do ice baths because when you’re training so hard, you really need them, as much as I don’t like them,’ he added.
Reflecting on his past accomplishments and looking to the future, the GB sprinter shared: ‘I appreciate and acknowledge every accomplishment that comes along the way, but I try not to get too caught up in it. I enjoy doing great things like breaking records and running fast times, but the job still needs to be done through the season, and that means performing and running fast at the Olympics in August.’
Fuel Your Workouts Like Zharnel
Hughes knows high performance training has to be backed up with high performance nutrition, and he’s no slouch in the kitchen. ‘I’ve developed my own smoothie with the help of nutritionist Rob Hobson ahead of the Olympics. Containing Vita Coco coconut water, I’ve named it the Swift Smoothie, after my nickname Swift.’ Hughes shared the nutrient packed recipe with MH. ‘This is the perfect recovery drink for anyone training hard. It’s made with Vita Coco and my favourite fruits: mango, pineapple and passion fruit.’
Ingredients
- 100ml Vita Coco coconut water
- 1 passion fruit
- 80g frozen pineapple
- 80g frozen mango
- 1 cm piece ginger (peeled)
- 25g scoop unflavoured protein powder
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1-2 tsp honey
Zharnel Hughes is an ambassador for Vita Coco. Don’t miss their big summer giveaway, now live at http://www.vitacoco.co.uk for your chance to win Thirst Place.
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.