Hughes is from Bury St Edmunds.[2] He was a standout athlete from a young age, as he threw the senior weight javelin 62.30 metres at age 15 on his first recorded attempt.[3] He was the 2013 English Schools and Schools International Athletic Board under-17 champion, and at the 2013 World School Athletics Championship he won the bronze medal in the 700-gram javelin with a distance of 64.54 m.[3][1] By 2014, he had achieved the number 2 mark on the all-time national under-17 rankings, behind only David Parker.[2]
Before his injury, Hughes' 2019 season best of 80.32 metres was the farthest throw by a British athlete since 2012.[5] In 2020, Hughes' injury that caused him to miss the 2018 season came back and required surgery to fix. To fund the surgery which placed two metal screws in his elbow, he successfully crowdfunded £5000 via GoFundMe.[5]
Hughes competes for the West Suffolk Athletic Club and is coached by 1986 World U20 Championships silver medallist Mark Roberson.[5]
