Kriti Mehrotra
With Anguilla-born British sprinter Zharnell Hughes making several headlines for all the right reasons over the past few years, it’s honestly no surprise the track world is rooting for him. Even those who are his competitors actually want him to do well and never doubt himself, including 2023 World Athletic Champion Noah Lyles, as long as he doesn’t beat him when it matters most. This has actually even been evidenced throughout Netflix’s ‘Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans,’ completely intriguing us about the former’s career trajectory plus overall success.
How Did Zharnell Hughes Earn His Money?
Since Zharnell was born on July 13, 1995, in The Valley, Anguilla, to a housekeeper mother and a taxi driver father, he has proudly always known the importance of ease as well as wealth. “So when I got my first pair of spikes [sometime after showcasing his near-prodigal ability at the tender age of 10], I was running like a bullet on the track,” he candidly conceded in the show. He subsequently won several races during his school’s sports days, just to then make his international debut for his homeland at 14 at the 100-meter race of the 2010 CARIFTA Games.
Unfortunately, Zharnell placed eighth in the final round of this tournament, only for it to push him towards the path of unwavering hard work in spite of any issues that might come their way. As a result, he improved a little by the time the 2011 CARIFTA Games rolled around before making it to the Isle of Man-held 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games/Events 100-meter finals. It was then that this sprinter began focusing on the 200-meter race too, unaware he’d earn his first medals the very next year across several under-20 or youth international competitions.
2012 was also the same year Zhanell was awarded a scholarship to attend the renowned Regional High-Performance Training Centre in Jamaica, study at Kingston College, and train with legendary world record holder Usain Bolt plus his coach Glen Mills. All this enabled him to break some personal records of his own in the ensuing two seasons, during which he even decided to compete for team Great Britain instead for more opportunities. With Anguilla being part of the British Overseas Territories, this process was relatively easy, and thus, in 2015, he began his career as a globally represented British track and record athlete.
Zharnell did sadly reach a lull soon after owing to a few health issues as well as mental blocks, which resulted in him getting disqualified from both his races during the Tokyo Olympic Games. His comeback was definitely one for the books, especially considering he went from accidental yet foul early starts to the British record holder for both 100-meter plus 200-meter events. He broke both during the 2023 season, following which his public standing has only skyrocketed — from brand deals to sponsored online posts; he has been doing it all over the last year.
Zharnell Hughes’ Net Worth
As a Jamaica-based, Great Britain-representing sprinter, public personality, flight simulation enthusiast, and fitness as well as travel fanatic, Zharnell has ostensibly managed to accumulate a fortune. The primary source of his income does appear to be his competition winnings. Yet, his likely base salary, record-breaking performances, and rising social media presence — with 61k+ followers already on Instagram as of writing — definitely help, too. After all, the World Championship most recently awarded $70,000 for first place (gold medal), $35,000 for silver, $22,000 for bronze, $16,000 for fourth, $11,000 for fifth, $7,000 for sixth, $6,000 for seventh, and $5,000 for eighth, other events’ prizes start from around $50,000.
Thus, with an average of $60,000 per gold plus $4,000 per eighth across all major track and field events, we believe Zharnell to have secured at least $1 million — he’s a 6-time gold medalist (adults), 2-time silver medalist, three-time bronze medalist, along with many significant finalist placings. Whether it be the World Championships, the European Championships, the IAAF World Relays, the Commonwealth Games, or the Olympic Games, he has actually contested in at least 20 races ever since he went pro. So, with the combination of these earnings, his salary of a possible $200,000 per annum, revenue through online platforms, possible investments/savings, and lifestyle, we believe his net worth to be around $2 million.
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