There is something regal about Jeremiah Azu — not just in the way he moves, but in the way he believes.
When he won the European indoor 60m title in Apeldoorn, he wore a crown. It was a playful gesture but also a telling one. Some sprinters shy away from expectation. Azu embraces it. And two weeks later, in Nanjing, China, he proved that his ambition was no mere theatre, adding the world indoor title to his growing collection.
"I knew I could win it," he said, without a flicker of doubt. "I said at the Europeans that I want to take over the world. This is just the start of our journey."
A journey that, at times, has threatened to stall. Azu came through the age-group system, only to suffer heartbreak at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Borås, Sweden, when a hamstring injury in the final left him devastated.
Paris should have been his Olympic stage, but injury struck again. And yet, from each setback, he has emerged stronger. The sprinter who once seemed on the fringes of greatness is now at its very centre.
A big year on and off the track
Perhaps, though, the most defining moment of Azu’s young life came not on the track but in the delivery room. Just a week before his European triumph, his son, Azaire, arrived.
"My life has transformed," he said. "I am now a dad and a European and a World Champion. There's no emotion that can compare to seeing your child be born. And I think that has benefited me so much because it makes these moments so much easier to stand on that start line."
Azu became the thirteenth British man to win a world indoor title, storming to gold in the 60m final in 6.49 seconds—the exact same time he ran in Apeldoorn, once again equalling Colin Jackson’s Welsh record. The son of a pastor, Azu has always carried faith—with him, within him. His family adores him, and now the sport does too. The crown in Apeldoorn was symbolic. The gold in Nanjing, definitive.
"The plan is to keep on winning," he said, eyes already on the horizon. "The sky isn't the limit, there's way, way more than that. Let's see what the summer brings—I'm excited for it."
And why wouldn’t he be? Jeremiah Azu has taken over Europe. He has taken over the world. The next stage of the journey awaits.