Kriti Mehrotra
With Anguilla-born British sprinter Zharnel Hughes being the national record holder in both the categories he contends in — 100 meters and 200 meters — he is undeniably one of the best. That’s why he was even featured rather significantly in Netflix’s ‘Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans,’ which admittedly gave us a deeper insight into not just who he really is but also all his motivations. Thus, it comes as no surprise his relationship with Shenel Francis got a little bit of the spotlight too, making us all the more curious about their long-term romance and her standing as a whole.
Zharnel Hughes and Shenel Francis Have Begun Living Together
Although it’s unclear precisely when Zharnel first came across Shenel — they prefer to keep all such intimate details private — we do know they have been involved since at least the fall of 2022. After all, that’s when they went Instagram official with a beautiful photo series of them simply walking the streets hand in hand during a possible date night — the best part is they look like paparazzi shots. The athlete personally hasn’t shared much else about their connection online, yet his partner has indicated they absolutely love traveling the world and even moved in together in early March 2024.
However, that’s not to say Zharnel wishes to keep Shenel a secret because he did gladly, openly mention his “girlfriend” not once but twice in his candid August 2023 interview with GQ Magazine. When asked about how he sets his goals or predicts performances, he stated it started after she bought him a journal and inadvertently encouraged him to write down his thoughts on his training sessions every single night. Then, coming to his then-recent securement of the British 200-meter record, surpassing John Regis’ 1994 clocked 19.94 by .21 seconds, he gushed,”I did it again! My girlfriend is there as my witness.”
Shenel Francis is Both a Dentist and a Public Figure
It was in 2019 that Shenel enrolled at the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica, to wholeheartedly pursue a Bachelor’s in Dental Hygiene, only to graduate with full honors in two years. Therefore, by the time March 2022 rolled around, she’d worked hard to gather enough part-time experience to spread her wings and evolve into a full-time Dental Hygienist at Jam Smiles Dental in Waterfront, Kingston. And as if that’s not enough, she’d apparently even established a luxury hand-poured scented candle brand by the name of Esenek.co Candles, which is currently out of stock plus under reconstruction.
That’s probably because Shenel did make a big change earlier this year by moving in with her 2024 Paris Olympics-qualified UK-based boyfriend, meaning it might take her a while to settle in again. Until then, though, it seems like she does have her rising social media standing to fall back on — she’s actually a fitness as well as travel enthusiast with a bubbly personality, making her a great online figure too. In fact, she already has over 10k followers on Instagram, along with a YouTube channel where she plans to upload vlogs, hauls, and much more (three travel vlogs are actually already available). Honestly, this Dental Hygienist and her athlete boyfriend appear to be doing very well these days, both individually and as a couple, so we can’t wait to see what more is in store for them.
