Hughes secures sprint double with 200m UK title

Zharnel Hughes completed the sprint double as he won the men’s 200m at the UK Athletics Championships.

The 27-year-old claimed the 100m title at Manchester’s Regional Arena on Saturday and followed that up by winning the 200m in 19.77 seconds.

Daryll Neita defended her women’s 200m title while Keely Hodgkinson regained the 800m crown.

But Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir suffered a surprise loss in the 1500m, finishing second to Katie Snowden.

Muir, 30, split with long-term coach Andy Young earlier this year and is training on her own before the World Championships in Budapest next month.

“There’s a lot going on at the moment,” said the Scot, whose time of four minutes 10.24 seconds was some way off her best of 3:54.50, as Snowden won in 4:09.86.

Hughes underlined his status as a genuine contender in Budapest, having already run a world-leading 9.83secs in New York last month.

Sunday’s winning 200m time of 19.77 was just a tenth of a second behind Noah Lyles’ world lead, although it would not have counted because of the wind, beating Joe Ferguson (20.43) and Jona Efoloko (20.45).

“I am the fastest man in the world and it didn’t happen overnight,” said Hughes. “I’m grateful to see the rewards happening for the hard work.

“We still have time to go [until the World Championships] and I can get a lot faster. I know I’m in the shape to run 19 seconds, that’s what is exciting. It can come again.”

Neita did the women’s sprint double last year and this time opted to focus on the 200m rather than defend the 100m title, which was won by Dina Asher-Smith on Saturday.

And Olympic relay bronze medallist Neita, 26, went just shy of her personal best with a championship record of 22.25secs to beat Bianca Williams (22.59) and Finette Agyapong (22.69).

“My mindset has evolved,” said Neita, whose 100m best is 10.90. “I’m not scared to beat people, I want to be number one.

“I also know where the ranks are, I know who is running 10.6 and 10.7 [in the 100m]. I’m not there yet but I’m working towards it.”

World and Olympic silver medallist Hodgkinson warmed up for her expected battle with USA’s Athing Mu and Kenya’s Mary Moraa in Budapest with another win.

The 21-year-old won the Paris Diamond League meeting in a British record of 1:55.77 last month and ran 1:58.26 in Manchester to beat Jemma Reekie (1:58.93) and Alexandra Bell (2:00.68).

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said of her World Championships challenge. “We’ll race each other and see who comes out on top.

“I like the idea of ‘give it all you’ve got – try to beat me today’. It’s hard [to predict] because I don’t race them very often, but I think this year will maybe be closer than previous years between all three of us.”

Heptathlon’s 2019 world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson threw 12.86m in the shot put before running 23.58secs to come third in her 200m heat as she prepares for Budapest.

In the absence of 1500m world champion Jake Wightman, who has been ruled out of the UK and World Championships through a foot injury, Neil Gourley became the new British champion, running 3:46.16 to beat Elliot Giles (3:46.48).

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