British sprinter Zharnel Hughes was held at gun point in an attempted robbery in Jamaica.
The 22-year-old was reportedly approached at his car when arriving to training and asked to hand over his mobile phone.
The Team GB athlete had a lucky escape, fleeing from the scene and evading gunfire, with a licensed gun owner nearby said to have returned fire.
He told newspaper Jamaica Gleaner: “I was putting on my sneakers at my trunk and this guy just came up pointing a gun in my face.
“He asked me for my phone and I ran off and the guy open fired.”
Though reportedly shaken up by the incident, Hughes completed his training session, later taking to social media to show his relief:
Lost for words, but thankfully I’m okay. Today would be a day I definitely won’t forget. üôèüèæ #ThankYouGod
— Zharnel Hughes (@zharnel_hughes) January 24, 2018
Information from Team Jamaica in a now-deleted tweet suggests multiple attackers, and that Hughes may not have been the only prospective victim.
The event took place at the University of West Indies’ Usain Bolt Track, where the Racers Track club are based and Hughes trains, along with Yohan Blake, Warren Weir and Kemar Bailey-Cole.
