Britain’s Zharnel Hughes made a winning start in his bid for 100m glory on the opening day at the World Championships, where Katarina Johnson-Thompson is in heptathlon gold medal contention.
Hughes, attempting to become the first British man to win a world 100m medal in 20 years, won his heat comfortably in 10 seconds flat in Budapest.
Johnson-Thompson, the 2019 world champion, is second after four events.
She trails leader Anna Hall by 93 points before Sunday’s finale.
Hughes, the fastest man in the world this year, will be joined in Sunday’s 100m semi-finals by British team-mates Eugene Amo-Dadzie and Reece Prescod, who finished second and third in their heats respectively.
American Noah Lyles, the world 200m champion, won his heat while reigning 100m champion Fred Kerley and Olympic gold medallist Marcell Jacobs also secured automatic qualification.
Johnson-Thompson lost ground in the shot put after ending the morning session in fourth place but significantly boosted her medal hopes by clocking 23.48 secs to win her 200m heat, beating strong favourite Hall in the process.
The final three heptathlon events take place on Sunday, with the long jump and javelin to come before the potentially decisive 800m.
Also during Saturday’s afternoon session, British trio Josh Kerr, Neil Gourley and Elliot Giles secured their places in the men’s 1500m semi-finals, where they are joined by Norway’s Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
British team captain Laura Muir, Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Katie Snowden earlier progressed in the women’s 1500m, but Jazmin Sawyers was left disappointed after failing to qualify for the long jump final.
Hughes displays confidence and composure in victory
With a commanding glance to his side as he cruised across the line, Hughes signalled to the world the level of confidence he feels as he hunts a first global medal.
The 28-year-old is in the form of his life, breaking two long-standing British sprint records this season – including a 9.83 sec 100m time which remains unbeaten in the world this year.
Those achievements have raised expectations that he could become the first British man to make the world 100m podium since Darren Campbell in 2003.
Hughes failed to qualify for last year’s final, 12 months on from false-starting in the Olympic showpiece, but made no mistakes as he calmly asserted himself after a cautious exit from the blocks.
Lyles, who has predicted he will go close to Usain Bolt’s world record by running 9.65 secs in Budapest, ran 9.95 secs – second only to Jamaican Oblique Seville’s time of 9.86 secs to edge Kerley.
The men’s 100m concludes on Sunday, when the semi-finals and final are both held in the evening.
Johnson-Thompson in tight medal fight
Since winning her world title four years ago Johnson-Thompson has endured several injury setbacks and even feared her career might be over after rupturing her Achilles.
But a beaming smile on the 30-year-old’s face as she found her rhythm in the high jump during the morning session spoke volumes of her current outlook.
And with a quality 200m, the event in which she sustained a calf tear at the Olympics, she reignited her hopes of returning to a global podium.
She was embraced by Hall after holding off the talented 22-year-old in the closing stages to reduce the deficit she will attempt to bridge on Sunday.
Johnson-Thompson was slow out of the blocks in the opening 100m hurdles, finishing 10th overall with a time of 13.50 seconds, but made up ground in the high jump as one of only two athletes to clear 1.86m.
A throw of 13.64m set her back in the shot put but her 200m time gives her a five point lead over Chari Hawkins, with fellow American Taliyah Brooks a further 12 points behind in a close fight for the medals.
More to follow.
