Hudson-Smith’s Historic Victory
Matthew Hudson-Smith, a local athlete, achieved a significant milestone by winning the 400m gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Competing on his childhood track at Alexander Stadium, where a stand is named in his honour, Hudson-Smith secured his third European 400m title. This victory makes him the joint-most decorated male athlete in the history of the European Championships, matching French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre’s record medal tally with eight podium finishes.
The 31-year-old athlete completed the race in 44.17 seconds, with Muhammad Abdallah Kounta of France taking silver in 44.40 seconds. Hudson-Smith’s win was met with enthusiastic support from the home crowd, marking an emotional return to the venue where he first developed his passion for athletics as a nine-year-old member of the Birchfield Harriers club.
Following his win, Hudson-Smith expressed the personal significance of the achievement, stating that nobody was going to defeat him on his home track, which he knows intimately. He highlighted his confidence in his abilities, noting that he believed he was the best in the world and a second faster than his competitors on paper.
Performance and Background
This latest gold medal adds to Hudson-Smith’s impressive career, which includes two 4x400m relay titles and a 400m silver medal from his European Championship debut in 2014. He now joins British athletes Mo Farah and Roger Black with five gold medals and equals Dina Asher-Smith as the most decorated British athlete in the championships’ history.
Despite entering the championships as the fastest European this year, Hudson-Smith admitted to misjudging his semi-final, which led to him competing for gold from an outside lane. This position meant he could not easily monitor his rivals’ early progress, but he maintained a strong pace to secure the win. His career has also seen him achieve silver medals at the World Championships in 2023 and the Paris 2024 Olympics, following a challenging period in his life.
The victory was Great Britain’s third gold medal of the championships. Shortly after Hudson-Smith’s triumph, Emily Newnham contributed to the host nation’s medal count by securing silver in the women’s 400m hurdles final, marking the sixth overall medal for Great Britain.
Other British Successes and Upcoming Events
Emily Newnham, at 22 years old, delivered a personal best performance of 53.33 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles, finishing behind Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia, who won in 52.91 seconds. Newnham’s silver medal is her latest international achievement in a successful season, which included two relay medals at the European Indoor Championships and double gold at the European Under-23 Championships in 2025.
Her recent performance builds on improvements in both her 400m hurdles and 400m flat personal bests this summer, and follows her first individual senior international medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 12 days prior. This achievement brings her closer to Sally Gunnell’s British record of 52.74 seconds, which has stood for 33 years.
Great Britain anticipates further medal opportunities, with Amy Hunt, the newly crowned 100m champion, and Dina Asher-Smith both qualifying for the women’s 200m final. Additionally, Max Burgin and Ben Pattison are set to compete in the men’s 800m final, while Elise Thorner will contend for a medal in the steeplechase on Thursday.
Source: bbc.co.uk