Azu's head over heels for Jesus

British sprinter Jeremiah Azu has said he has no regrets about wearing a headband with the message “100 per cent Jesus”.

Azu was given a warning during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year.

But he has now told reporters that his faith inspires him and that he didn’t regret wearing the headband.

The 24-year-old was not formally sanctioned for the accessory, though governing body representatives spoke with his team about the display.

Sports authorities typically prohibit religious and political slogans during competition.

Azu told the BBC: “I believe my strength comes from my faith, and I wore the headband to show that.”

Growing up as the son of a pastor, faith has been central to his upbringing.

“We read the Bible at home, we prayed at home,” he said.

The sprinter credited his Christian beliefs with enhancing his athletic performance, particularly through discipline.

“As a Christian you have to be disciplined,” he explained.

“There are days where it’s difficult to push, but I know I have to from the discipline I’ve got from my faith.”

And Azu didn’t lose faith in March when he narrowly missed out on a medal in “one of the best 60m races of all time” at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland.

Twelve months after claiming the first global title of his career with world indoor gold in China, Azu missed out on a return to the podium by just 0.01 seconds as he clocked 6.46 seconds in Torun.

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