Hughes fired up after CW sprint ‘heartbreak’

GOLD COAST: England’s Zharnel Hughes struck a defiant tone on Friday, expressing his “hunger” for Commonwealth Games relay glory the morning after being stripped of gold in the men’s 200 metres.

The 22-year-old edged out Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards in Thursday’s Gold Coast final and completed his lap of honour, only to be disqualified after officials ruled he had impeded his opponent.

Replays showed that Hughes, struggling under pressure over the last 50 metres, caught Richards with his left hand, causing him to stumble as both sprinters crossed the line in a photo finish. England immediately lodged a protest that was rejected, but Hughes was still insisting he was blame-free after helping the English men’s 4x100m team qualify quickest for this weekend’s final.

Canada’s Aaron Brown was promoted to silver after Hughes’s unlucky break, with Northern Irishman Leon Reid bumped up from fourth to the bronze-medal spot. However, Hughes promised to come back stronger from his setback as England look to go one better than four years ago in Glasgow, when they took silver behind a Jamaica team led by Usain Bolt. “I prepared nicely for the the Commonwealth Games and progressed through the rounds well but sometimes technical issues happen,” said Anguilla-born Hughes.