Derbyshire runs fifth-best British 400m hurdles time

Only four other British men have run faster than Seamus Derbyshire over 400m hurdles

Great Britain's Seamus Derbyshire said becoming the fifth-fastest British man ever to run the 400m hurdles is "mind-boggling".

The 25-year-old clocked 48.47 seconds at a meeting in Prague on Monday to not only smash his personal best but also make the qualification standard for the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.

Kriss Akabusi set the British record of 47.82 set at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

"It was point eight of a second quicker than I've ever run before, which you don't get to be like that very often," Derbyshire said.

"So I knew it was good, but it was crazy and I was in shock. I couldn't comprehend it in the moment."

'I'd never believe it in a million years'

Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles bronze medallist Alastair Chalmers, Joshua Faulds, a bronze medallist, along with Chalmers, in the 4x400m mixed relay at the European Indoor Championships in February, and European U20 4x400m relay champion Jake Minshull have all run sub-49 seconds this year, with Derbyshire now top of the list.

The City of Stoke Athletics Club member, and silver medallist at the European Under-20 Championships in 2019, also moved past Chalmers in the all-time British list.

"The event is in such a strong place in the UK at the moment," Derbyshire told BBC Radio Stoke.

"So that, as a stat, is mind-boggling.

"I started athletics 11 years ago and if you'd told me then this is how good I could potentially be I would never ever believe it in a million years.

"It's like living the dream."

Only Chris Rawlinson, David Hemery, David Greene and Akabusi have run faster than Derbyshire who is open-minded about how close he can get to the British record.

"I'm making my way up and I've jumped from 29th to 5th and it's a huge leap in one race," Derbyshire said.

"My training has been different to what I've done before and that has kept me quite fresh.

"Everything I was doing was suggesting I was getting quicker and stronger. It's the first year with a new coach and training set-up, so who knows?"

Seamus Derbyshire came fifth in the 400m at the UK Indoor Championships in February

'This is your line in the sand'

Derbyshire's performance in the Czech Republic came after he effectively had a year out of the sport in 2024 to have a break from "all the pressure and stress of competing".

He came fifth in the 400m at the UK Championships in February and was part of Team GB's 4x400m relay squad at the European Indoors in March.

"Our main aim was getting back into the European circle and enjoying what I was doing and I did that really well indoors," Derbyshire said.

"I just want that to translate into outdoors.

"I had a bit of a messy run the week before [Prague] but I think it really helped me lock in. I really was like, 'OK, this is your bench[mark], start like this is your line in the sand, like you know what you can improve on.'

"It fuelled the performance for the week after because I was very determined to do something I felt was more representative of myself."

Derbyshire said his run "felt incredible" and like a bit of a "blur".

"Even though it was so much quicker than I've ever run before, it just felt effortless to some degree - so I knew I was running well," he added.

"But then when I saw the time, I was like, 'Wow.'"

LA 2028 would be 'kind of crazy'

Derbyshire's time makes him eligible for selection for the World Championships in Japan in September.

He can further enhance his claim for a place by finishing in the top two at the UK Championships in Birmingham in August.

"It would be great to get picked [but] nothing is guaranteed," Derbyshire said.

"The event is in such a good place, I genuinely believe there's more boys that are capable of it.

"We celebrated the high, but it doesn't mean the work is over.

"It takes a lot of pressure off for the rest of the season, so it's now just making sure I continue performing well and try and pull out some of my best performances at the British Championships come August."

Beyond that, Derbyshire said making the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 is his "long-term plan".

"I would love to to go to the Olympics. I feel like that is sort of the ultimate for everyone," he added.

"Once you're an Olympian, they can't take that away from you.

"I'll be 28-years-old, so in terms of handling it, that's like a really good age - you're starting to come towards like your peak.

"It's a really good thing to get me towards that goal. I'd love to be an Olympian. I just think that would be kind of crazy."

Seamus Derbyshire (right) is hoping to win selection for the World Championships in Tokyo in September