Inside sprint star Zharnel Hughes’ love life, from dating fellow Team GB star to finding romance with a dental hygienist
ZHARNEL HUGHES is Team GB’s great hope for a medal in the 100 and 200 metres at Paris 2024.
The sprinter, 29, is officially the fastest British man in both events, after breaking long-standing records set by Linford Christie and John Regis.
Away from the track, he kept his love life private following a public break-up with a fellow Team GB star.
However, in 2022 his romance with dental hygienist Shenel Francis was finally unveiled.
And she has been credited with keeping him focused on the job at hand on the track, instead of getting caught up in a slanging match with American rival Noah Lyles.
Sporting super couple
Shortly before Hughes began dating Shenel, he split from Dina Asher-Smith.
They were seen as sporting royalty, and a super-couple of the athletics world.
But when their split became big news, Asher-Smith was baffled.
They remained pals ahead of the Commonwealth Games, however things would have still been quite raw.
She said: “We are fine, we are still friends.
“I won’t go into the details because that is personal life but we are cool, absolutely fine.
“I am not a celebrity so I didn’t think it was that much of a big deal to be in the papers.
“It is hilarious that people care if I have a boyfriend. I can’t wait to tell him.”
While Asher-Smith was able to decompartmentalise that aspect of her life, being under the media glare may have influenced Hughes’ decision to keep his next relationship under wraps.
Moving on
Incredibly, Hughes began dating his current love Shenel since 2018.
They remained inconspicuous until 2022, making sure media scrutiny didn’t interrupt their happiness.
That was until a series of photos on their Instagram accounts gave us the big reveal.
He told GQ how she played an important role in his life and career.
He revealed: “In 2018, my girlfriend bought me a journal, and I just started writing down my thoughts on training, what I have coming up and how I’m feeling going into competition.
“Before going to bed, I’ll reflect on the day I had: what can I work on, what could be better going into the following day or week.
“Consistency is key to being successful, and writing things down helps me stay on top of things.”
Shenel, who appeared in the documentary ‘Sprint’, has also been on hand to help him ignore the haters, in particular Noah Lyles.
His rivalry with the American featured in the Netflix series, and Lyles has been quick to slam Hughes in press conferences, much to the Brit’s annoyance.
“He’s still talking. I saw the preview of the show and then I realised he’d said a lot,” Hughes recently said.
“I was like: ‘Oh, this guy can talk.’ I know you talk but I didn’t know you talk that much!
“Obviously me being a competitor it raised all the red in me. I was like: ‘This guy…he just needs to shut up!’
“My girlfriend is the one who keeps me calm. She is like: ‘Babe don’t get flared up, don’t let it get into your head because at the end of the day it could be psychological.’
“He’s saying these things so you guys can be thrown off psychologically.
“So, for me, I use that burning desire, that red in me as an athlete and I try to put it out on the track.”
In the meantime…
When Shenel is not calming Hughes down, she’s focusing on her own business affairs.
She works as a dental hygienist, after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica.
Additionally, she has also founded a luxury hand-poured scented candle brand called Esenek.co Candles.
According to the brand’s Instagram page, the wax products are currently out of stock and the website is undergoing reconstruction.
She is also popular through her Instagram account where she shares fashion, lifestyle, and travel content to her 10,000 plus followers.
Should Hughes dominate at the Games, expect plenty of gushing posts from his missus.