Isak Hughes ran faster than any other Swedish 17-year-old has done before.
Now Alhaji Jeng’s talent for running is crazy.
– Sensational performance, says the SVT expert.
Sweden currently has an enormously talented litter of athletics stars. In pole vault, Armand Duplantis completely dominates, and he has broken several world records in recent years, while he has lined up championship medals.
Praise after the effort
At the same time, Daniel Ståhl’s discus is the biggest star – but on the running side, Sweden has not been directly spoiled with success. But now there is a name to look out for. During the U18 European Championships, Isak Hughes, 17, reached the final – and there he took an unexpected silver medal. The time was 10.36 in the 100 meters, which is by far the fastest race of a Swedish 17-year-old ever.
It is also the second fastest all the way up to 19-year-olds, and only Sweden’s second in the 100-meter class in the U18 European Championships ever. And Alhaji Jeng, an expert on SVT, is impressed.
– It is a sensational achievement he makes. Sweden often asserts itself in jumps and throws and perhaps also at medium distances, 800 and 1500 meters. But it is not often that Sweden produces good sprinters if you compare with the other branches, he says.
“The conditions are there”
Jeng is also impressed with the way Hughes acted during the competition.
– A great time. He had 10.39 in the semifinals so he picks out that little extra in the final, when it’s a little more tense, it’s another dimension.
And for Jeng, there is no doubt that Hughes is facing a bright future.
– The conditions are there, but from junior to senior you have to increase the amount of training and it is also individual how you manage those pieces. I do not want to be negative but also do not put megapress on him. But it looks bright undeniably.
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