Olympic redemption for Azu with bronze reward

Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu admits he has knowledgeable redemption aft finishing his first Olympics successful Paris pinch a bronze medal.

Azu started his programme successful Paris pinch nan heartbreak of being disqualified from nan opening individual 100m power because of a mendacious start.

Six days later, he celebrated a podium position aft finishing 3rd successful nan 4x100m relay pinch chap GB runners Zharnel Hughes, Louie Hinchliffe and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.

Azu, 23, was grateful to execute an Olympic badge astatine his first Games.

"It's a spot of redemption for really things turned retired astatine nan commencement of nan championships," said Azu.

"We each activity truthful difficult for these moments, it's nan worldly we dream of arsenic soon arsenic we started running.

"It's astonishing to time off pinch thing and execute this early successful my career.

"It feels awesome to beryllium successful this position now. This is not nan measurement I would person orchestrated things but I'm connected a journey, I'm learning and this is portion of nan process.

"I would person loved to person proved myself individually. I americium successful nan champion style of my life and hitting numbers successful training I person ne'er deed before.

"Next clip I'm going to travel backmost stronger and hopefully I tin do myself justice, individually arsenic good arsenic nan relay."

Azu, who trains successful Italy, had to banish immoderate demons quickly because he was tasked pinch moving nan first limb and returning to nan blocks for nan relay semi-final and final.

"I had to put past play down me, I had different opportunity pinch nan relay and made judge I did not awkward away," said Azu.

"The guys trusted maine to get backmost successful nan blocks and whip astir nan crook and that's what I did.

"I took nan crowd away. I conscionable made myself deliberation I'm successful Italy correct now. It's conscionable different training convention because it's nan aforesaid thing.

"Just because there's group around, conscionable because there's nan title of nan Olympics, that shouldn't alteration anything.

"You should do nan aforesaid things, that's what I did. I took a heavy breath, blurred everything retired and conscionable ran."

Azu was capable to show that intelligence spot because of nan support of his family arsenic they helped him retrieve from nan disappointment of nan individual elimination.

This included Azu leaving nan Olympic colony almost instantly aft his individual sprint despair.

"Straight aft nan disqualification I went backmost to nan village, threw my rucksack connected nan floor, picked up different container and my family picked maine up," Azu told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"They are staying astatine a campy tract conscionable extracurricular of Paris truthful we went location for 2 days which allowed maine to beryllium distracted from things.

"It was important to person my family here. I don't deliberation I would person been capable to get backmost retired connected that way without them.

"They took my mind disconnected things and showed maine they emotion maine and location was nary alteration successful really they treated me.

"In those moments they brought maine backmost down to world and filled maine pinch love. We are patient successful our religion and understand everything happens for a reason.

"It's a blessing to beryllium capable to return them to these places. This is worldly we utilized to watch connected tv and now they're successful Paris watching me.

"So it was awesome to beryllium capable to observe pinch them aft nan race."

Azu is nan first Welsh Olympic way and section medallist since Iwan Thomas and Jamie Baulch won 4x400m relay metallic successful Atlanta successful 1996.

"I can't hold to travel backmost to Cardiff, I'm ever telling group really it's nan champion metropolis successful nan world," said Azu.

"I genuinely emotion it, nan group are truthful awesome and I wouldn't alteration it.

"I can't hold to stock this pinch nan people. I do this for nan group of Wales, erstwhile I'm connected nan way I want them to consciousness for illustration they're location pinch me.

"There's a large federation down maine and I'm proud to correspond them."

Azu is now targeting nan eventual prize successful Los Angeles successful 2028.

"I would emotion to person an Olympic golden badge and that would seal disconnected a career," said Azu.

"There is 1 golden each 4 years and to beryllium personification who has that would beryllium amazing.

"To person gone done this now, coming backmost successful 4 years clip erstwhile we are successful Los Angeles will beryllium a overmuch amended experience."