Jeremiah Azu, Wales' fastest man and World Champion

Jeremiah Azu is Wales’ fastest man: a European and World Indoor Champion, Olympic medallist and the first Welsh sprinter to run under 10 seconds.  Raised in Cardiff, he’s become one of Britain’s most exciting sprint talents. As he heads into the Commonwealth Games, Azu carries not just World‑class speed but a deep pride in Wales, a new sense of purpose as a father and a drive to inspire the next generation.

I’ve always believed that if I truly think I can do something, I can achieve it. That belief has carried me from Cardiff school fields to world indoor titles and an Olympic podium. But as I look ahead to the Commonwealth Games, what drives me now feels deeper, more rooted; in Wales, in family and in the legacy, I want to leave behind.

I was born in Rotterdam, but Wales is home.  My family moved to Cardiff when I was three and it’s where I learned to run.  I grew up loving both athletics and football, but eventually sprinting won out and I’ve never looked back.

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to become the fastest Welshman in history, the first Welsh athlete to break 10 seconds in the 100m and a World and European Indoor Champion over 60m.

But none of that compares to what it feels like to pull on the Welsh vest.

That sense of belonging and representing something bigger than myself is what makes the Commonwealth Games unlike any other competition.

In the same month I became a father, I won European and World Indoor 60m gold. It was the most transformative time of my life.

Becoming a dad changed how I train, how I think, how I show up every day.

There are days when training is hard, when my legs are heavy, when my times aren’t coming, when the weather in Cardiff is doing what it does best.  But then I go home and my son is there with a smile running up to me.  My purpose is to raise my son and that purpose fuels me. It sharpens my focus. It reminds me why I chase excellence.

I’m proud of what I’ve achieved so far: Olympic 4x100m bronze in Paris, World, European and National titles.  But the Commonwealth Games is different.

It’s Wales. It’s personal.

Of course, I want medals, for Wales, for myself, for my family.

That love from family, from Wales, from the community that raised me, is what steadies me on the start line.

I think a lot now about what I’m passing on, to my son, to young Welsh athletes watching from the stands or their living rooms.

I always thought, if I believe I can do something, I can achieve it.  I think I’ve shown that in my career so far and that’s what I’m trying to show day to day.  

A legacy built not just on medals, but on belief, resilience and pride in where you come from.

As the Commonwealth Games approach, I feel ready, not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, purposefully.  I’m stepping onto that track carrying the red of Wales, the smile of my son, and the belief that has carried me this far.