Zharnel Hughes dismissed any fears over the direction of UK Athletics just seven months before the Olympics.
The Great Britain sprinter, who won 100m bronze at the World Championships last year, believes the governing body has no choice but to battle on.
Technical director Stephen Maguire’s sudden departure in October – after a record-equalling medal haul of 10 at the World Championships – was followed by the announcement of a £3.7million loss in December.
But Hughes, who has been training at his base in Jamaica, remains focused on his own work ahead of the Paris Games.
“They have to get themselves sorted out because they have major championships coming up,” he said, with Paula Dunn in interim charge through the Olympics.
“I hope everything will be ironed out by the time the championships come around and everything will be running smoothly for the athletes to be in the best place mentally to give our best performances.
“I hope they get their stuff sorted out. I see it, I read it but I keep my head down and keep moving.
“It did surprise me (Maguire’s departure). We had just come out of Budapest and, shortly after, it happened. ‘OK, what happened there?’ I just left it alone, no-one said anything to me.
“I’m pretty sure they’re aware it doesn’t have much to do with me. It’s not like I’m writing the cheques or anything.”
The 28-year-old is focused on this year’s outdoor season after opting to skip the indoor competitions, including the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March.
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Last year he claimed his first individual world medal, finishing third in the 100m in Budapest having broken the 100m and 200m British records.
He ran 9.83 seconds in New York in June – smashing Linford Christie’s 30-year 100m mark – before running 19.73 seconds in the 200m in London a few weeks later.
Hughes had written down 9.83 seconds in his diary before running the time and has already scribbled his goals down for this year.
“I’ve written down my times and what I want to accomplish. I’ve even said I want to break the British record again,” he said, ahead of defending his 200m European title in Rome in June.
“I want to medal in the European Championships and Olympics and want to get to the Diamond League final and see what I can do.
“Plans have been written down long before any New Year resolutions. I wrote them down in the first week of training.”
Zharnel Hughes is an ambassador for Vita Coco, for updates and information on the partnership visit: www.vitacoco.co.uk
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to kick off final Olympic campaign at JAAA's French Foray meet on Saturday
Four-time Olympic 100m medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is set to open her 2024 season this Saturday at the JAAA's French Foray meet at the National Stadium in Kingston. The 38-year-old sprinting star will take on a relatively weak field of athletes as she tests her readiness to challenge for an unprecedented third Olympic 100m title in Paris this August.
Fraser-Pryce, who last competed in August 2023 when she ran 10.77 to win the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, is gearing up for the Jamaica National Championships, which begins in less than two weeks on June 27. To secure her place in the Olympic squad, Fraser-Pryce will need to finish in the top three at the national trials.
In an interview with Sportsmax.TV last October, Fraser-Pryce revealed plans to run more races leading up to the Olympics in 2024. However, for reasons unknown, she has not been able to compete before Saturday. As one of the most decorated sprinters in history, with five World Championships 100m titles to her name, Fraser-Pryce has faced a series of injuries since 2016. A toe injury in 2016 hampered her chances of winning a third consecutive Olympic 100m title, and she finished third.
After nearly two years off due to the birth of her son Zyon, Fraser-Pryce made a triumphant return by winning her fourth World 100m title in Doha in 2019. She followed this with a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a fifth world title in Oregon in 2022. During an injury-hit season in 2023, she followed up with a bronze at the World Championships in Budapest.
On Saturday, Fraser-Pryce will gauge her readiness for what she has indicated will be her final Olympic campaign. Fans and athletics enthusiasts will be watching closely as she begins her journey towards making history once again in Paris.
'Wildly irresponsible': Dr. Emir Crowne blasts Judo Association for confidentiality breach in 'smear campaign' against now-suspended Drysdale-Daley
Noted sports attorney Dr. Emir Crowne has blasted the Dwayne Barnett-led Jamaican Judo Association (JJA) for what he described as a smear campaign against British-born judoka Ebony Drysdale-Daley, as the sporting body, on Thursday, revealed that the athlete has two whereabouts failures and is on the cusp of being banned.
Crowne, an international sports lawyer, labelled the JJA’s action to disclose such confidential information in a press release as “absolutely atrocious,” and “wildly irresponsible,” as he believes the breach should not go unpunished.
The JJA’s release, which stated in part that Drysdale-Daley “has twice failed to present herself for Anti-doping testing and faces a potential ban if another test is missed,” was a response to the athlete’s widely-circulated video in which she accused the association of bias where selection for this summer’s Paris Olympic Games is concerned.
Drysdale-Daley, 29, who became the country’s first athlete to compete in judo at an Olympic Games, when she graced the 2021 Tokyo edition, has since been given a notice of suspension by the association, a copy of which SportsMax.TV has obtained.
“Somehow the Jamaican Judo association thought it appropriate to publicly disclose that the athlete has two whereabouts failures so far. I say wildly irresponsible because athletes enjoy the protection of confidentiality until there is actually some sort of anti-doping rule violation asserted against them. For whereabouts failures, there is no anti-doping rule violation until there is three whereabouts failures in a twelve-month period. So until that happens, there is no anti-doping rule violation,” Crowne explained.
Ebony Drysdale-Daley in action for Jamaica.
“I would encourage the athlete, and I would encourage bodies that supervise the Jamaican Judo association, like the Jamaican Olympic Association, or the International Judo body, or JADCO…someone needs to sanction the conduct of the Jamaican Judo Association,” he added.
Crowne, who has represented a number of athletes such as Jamaica’s Ryker Hylton, Briana Williams, Kaliese Spencer and Trinidadian Fabian Whitfield, among others, argued that the JJA, in their eagerness to smear the reputation of the athlete, breached all protocols and standards of confidentiality.
“Quite ironically, the Jamaican Judo association, in attempting to paint the athlete in a negative light, has now painted themselves in a negative light through this breach of confidence, and it should not go unpunished,” the Trinidadian declared.
“I encourage JADCO, I encourage WADA, I encourage the JOA, I encourage the international federation to take a hard look at this press release and see if it was appropriate to disclose what is otherwise completely confidential in any other circumstance, in any other country, in any other sport in the world,” he stated.
In her almost four-minute long video released on Tuesday, Drysdale-Daley alleged that her path to qualification for the Paris Olympic Games was deliberately being blocked by the powers that be.
Jamaican Judo Association president Dwayne Barnett.
With only one judo spot available to Jamaica for the Games, she believes that she was being overlooked by the association since her male counterpart Ashley McKenzie came in the picture.
It is on that basis why Drysdale-Daley, the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, alleges that her self-funded efforts to attend qualifying events in an attempt to possibly overhaul McKenzie is being hindered by the associations hierarchy.
“I feel the federation has shown no impartiality. I feel there is a real question of ethics, a real question of integrity. The Jamaican Judo association is blocking me from attending and competing in my last qualifying event, an event that I have self-funded and paid for,” she said.
The JJA in refuting the claims pointed to the athlete’s disregard for deadlines.
“The JJA advises Ebony Drysdale-Daley to reflect on her disregard for these deadlines, as she has twice failed to present herself for Anti-doping testing and faces a potential ban if another test is missed. Furthermore, she has received a written warning from the JJA regarding behaviour and actions deemed unbecoming of an athlete at the Commonwealth Games 2022,” the JJA release stated.
Olympian Drysdale-Daley cries foul about selection process but JJA says athlete's exclusion from qualification due to disregard for deadlines
Jamaica’s British-born judoka Ebony Drysdale-Daley has accused the Jamaican Judo Association (JJA) of bias where selection for this summer’s Paris Olympic Games is concerned, as she believes her path to qualification is deliberately being blocked by the powers that be.
With only one judo spot available to Jamaica for the upcoming Games, Drysdale-Daley, who became the country’s first athlete to compete in judo at an Olympic Games, when she graced the 2021 Tokyo edition, argued that she is now being overlooked by the association since her male counterpart Ashley McKenzie came in the picture.
McKenzie, who was also born in England, and won a silver medal at last year’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, currently occupies the coveted spot, as he is nine points ahead of Drysdale-Daley.
It is on that basis why Drysdale-Daley, the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, alleges that her self-funded effort to attend a qualifying event in an attempt to possibly overhaul McKenzie is being hindered by the association's hierarchy.
“I feel the federation has shown no impartiality. I feel there is a real question of ethics, a real question of integrity. The Jamaican Judo association is blocking me from attending and competing in my last qualifying event, an event that I have self-funded and paid for. They (the JJA) told me that they weren't going to help finance, even though when I was in qualifying position, a fund was in reserve to help athletes in that position. But I never questioned that, I did my best to crowdfund and work for it,” Drysdale-Daley shared in a widely-circulated video lasting almost four minutes.
“They have removed me from competition registry. The Jamaican Judo Association had initially registered me for this event, now they have removed me. I feel there are clear and present inconsistencies and I have evidence and emails to support this. I feel the Jamaican Judo Association have favoured the other athlete in contention over me. They have effectively secured and ensured the other athletes qualification ahead of mine by blocking me from this final tournament of which I have paid flights for,” she added.
That tournament which Drysdale-Daley refers to is the Lima Pan American Open starting on June 21. This represents the final competition before the qualification deadline.
The allegations by the 29-year-old raises questions about fairness and transparency within the Judo Association and beyond, as she also leveled claims that she is being ignored and pushed aside by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).
“The Jamaican Olympic Association, and the Jamaican Judo Association have not responded to my emails and have cruelly ignored me. The deadline for me to be re-entered is in two days’ time. This is very time sensitive. I feel let down by my peers. I feel so alone,” Drysdale-Daley noted as she fought back tears.
JJA President Dwayne Barnett.
However, the Dwayne Barnett-led JJA in a release, emphatically denied the allegations, and stressed its steadfast commitment to fairness, integrity, and providing equal opportunities for all athletes.
“The JJA categorically refutes any claims of impropriety or personal interests influencing the selection process. The General Secretary and other mentioned individuals have no personal or vested interests that would compromise the integrity of these processes. The JJA upholds the highest standards of impartiality and professionalism,” the JJA statement read.
On that note, the JJA explained that its decision to omit Drysdale-Dale from qualification was made on the basis of the athlete’s disregard for deadlines, including for Anti-doping testing, which she failed to turn up for on two occasions.
“It is important to clarify that Olympic qualification in judo requires athletes to meet specific criteria. As in most sports, if not in all, qualification is based on merit and current performance of athletes so as to ensure the best representation. The JJA subscribes to this principle,” it declared.
“The decision to exclude Ebony from the upcoming qualifying event was solely based on her consistent failure to comply with deadlines and her repeated attempts to circumvent the processes established by the JJA for efficient management of competition entries. The importance of adhering to these deadlines has been communicated to all athletes on numerous occasions,” JJA added.
Regarding support and funding, the JJA revealed that Drysdale-Daley has received financial support exceeding US$50,000 from the JOA and other strategic partners since the day she began to represent Jamaica in judo.
“The JJA empathizes with Ebony Drysdale-Daley's disappointment and frustration. However, it is imperative to recognize that deadlines are an essential component of our processes. The JJA stands by its decisions, which are made in accordance with established rules and regulations,” the release stated.
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