Sports · Running & Athletics · 5 hrs ago
Louis Rees-Zammit comes within 0.05 seconds of sprinter Jeremiah Azu
Louis Rees-Zammit ran 40 metres in 4.59 seconds, nearly matching Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu in a filmed challenge.
Azu, the 2025 world indoor 60-metre champion, finished in 4.54 seconds, a margin of five hundredths of a second.
The sprint was filmed before Bristol Bears played Saracens, where Rees-Zammit plays on the wing.
He returned to rugby in 2025 after pursuing American football, and has scored four tries in Bristol’s first three matches this season.
His result shows his pace remains exceptional even against a world champion sprinter.
After the Saracens match, he shared an image of friction burns on his leg and called for artificial pitches to be removed from Premiership Rugby.
Concerns about synthetic pitches continue, with players and coaches raising questions about burns and injury risks, while Saracens’ Jamie George said the StoneX Stadium surface meets regulations.
Louis Rees-Zammit came within 0.05 seconds of Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu in a 40-metre sprint.
Azu clocked 4.54 seconds, while the Wales rugby international ran the distance in 4.59 seconds.
The challenge was filmed before Bristol Bears’ match against Saracens, and Rees-Zammit’s Bristol team-mates were reportedly stunned by his time.
Azu won the world indoor 60-metre title in 2025 and is described as Wales’ fastest man.
Rees-Zammit has scored four tries in his first three matches of the season for Bristol.
- Who
- Wales rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit and sprinter Jeremiah Azu.
- What
- They raced over 40 metres. Azu won by 0.05 seconds.
- When
- Before Bristol Bears’ match against Saracens; the articles do not give the sprint’s exact date.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Not stated.
Louis Rees-Zammit and Pat Lam
Jamie George and supporters of artificial pitches
Aspect
Louis Rees-Zammit and Pat Lam
Rees-Zammit called for artificial pitches to be stopped after suffering skin burns.
Jamie George and supporters of artificial pitches
George said Saracens’ StoneX Stadium pitch complies with applicable regulations and the club trains on artificial surfaces.
Aspect
Louis Rees-Zammit and Pat Lam
Pat Lam said he left three players out of the Saracens match because he considered the pitch a risk after their previous injuries.
Jamie George and supporters of artificial pitches
George said players can respond differently to synthetic surfaces and noted that the effect of preparation on players’ bodies remains a question for sports science.
Jeremiah Azu won the world indoor 60-metre title.
Rees-Zammit and Azu were filmed racing over 40 metres.
Azu ran 4.54 seconds and Rees-Zammit ran 4.59 seconds.
Rees-Zammit shared an image of friction burns and called for artificial pitches to be removed from Premiership Rugby.
- Sprint distance
- 40 metres
- Jeremiah Azu’s time
- 4.54 seconds
- Louis Rees-Zammit’s time
- 4.59 seconds
- Time between runners
- 0.05 seconds
- Azu’s title
- 2025 world indoor 60-metre champion
- Rees-Zammit’s Bristol tries
- Four in his first three matches of the season
3 sources
What people are saying
The first 20 is probably my weakest but when I get going I try and stride out and try and cruise through it.
Can we please stop playing on these AstroTurf pitches!! Someone do something about it!!
He's got a great stride length to be fair on a rugby pitch. When he gets going, it is hard to stop him.
They came off big injuries last year and so it wasn’t worth putting them on that pitch.