ZHARNEL Hughes leads the qualifiers into today’s final of the men’s 200m after running 20.55 seconds (-0.2m/s) to win his semi-final heat on yesterday’s first day of the British Championships at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

The former Anguillan runner, who has a Jamaican mother and competed for Kingston College at last year’s ISSA Boys’ Championships, switched allegiances this year.

In yesterday’s semi-finals he eased up with about 40 metres to go to beat Freddie Owsley with 21.12 seconds and Tommy Ramdahn, who also ran 21.12 seconds.

Meanwhile, the clash between Hughes and former Munro College standout Delano Williams was put on hold after Williams was found to have a slight hamstring strain and was advised by the British medical team to skip the Championships.

Brando Hayden, Williams’ agent ,told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that Williams’s spot on the team to the IAAF World Championships in China next month should not be in jeopardy with his missing the championships this weekend.

Hayden explained that only the top two finishers in each event were guaranteed a spot with the third spot up to the discretion of the selection committee.

Williams, who won the IAAF World Junior Championships’ 200m title in Spain in 2012, has the fastest time 20.40 seconds of any British man over the 200m so far this year.

He had split 44.6 seconds on the Great Britain 4x400m team at the European Championships in Russia on June 21, then won a 200m race in Sweden in 20.62 seconds (0.0m/s) on June 25 before starting to complain about a pain in his lower back.

A scan was done, Hayden said, and the slight tear found and he was advised to rest.