British sprinter Jeremiah Azu managed to steer clear of the religious row at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, but Team GB suffered a 4x100m relay nightmare in the men’s race as they were knocked out in the heats after a terrible changeover on the final leg.
World Athletics had applied pressure on Azu to not wear his ‘100 per cent Jesus’ headband again in the sprint relay this weekend, after he’d breached their regulations by doing so on Wednesday.
Azu, the first Welsh athlete to run sub-10 seconds for the 100m, is from a devout family – and credits his faith for his sporting success.
He has been quoted as saying: ‘When I’m on that start line, I feel I am not doing this just for me, or on my own, but there is a higher power behind me.
‘Whether things go right or wrong for me, it feels ok, and I am able to carry on because I know I am doing God’s work. For me, I want to spread the gospel. The faster I run, the more people I can reach.’
On Saturday Azu stood by the rules and ran without the headband, and it was a miserable experience for all concerned as the team fluffed their lines.
Jeremiah Azu shows his frustration after it all goes wrong for Team GB’s sprinters in Tokyo
The GB quartet are a picture of misery after it all went wrong on the night in the 4x100m relay
Azu wore his ‘100 per cent Jesus’ headband in Tokyo, which breached tournament regulations
The mistake came when Eugene Amo-Dadzie set off far too early, leaving Jona Efoloko no chance of catching him for an effective and legal changeover.
It means Wales’ 24-year-old Jeremiah Azu who ran the opening leg, will return home from Japan without a medal after failing to make the final in the individual event.
He is becoming accustomed to disappointment, for it is just a year since he suffered Olympics heartbreak when he was disqualified for a false start in the heats in Paris.
