Matt Hudson-Smith claims gold at the European Athletics Championships
With bronze and silver medals already in his pocket, there was only one more step for Matt Hudson-Smith to take this breakthrough summer.
On Wednesday night, with a scorching run in the European 400m final in Munich, he took it.
His lap of 44.53sec put him a full half-second ahead of the rest, with Ricky Petrucciani of Switzerland collecting silver and Hudson-Smith’s British team-mate Alex Haydock-Wilson winning bronze.
Matt Hudson-Smith delivered a masterful performance to win European gold in Munich
He has now won three medals in as many major championships this summer
British team-mate Alex Haydock-Wilson earned himself a bronze medal in the same event
While there was a pleasant surprise in seeing Haydock-Wilson dip his way on to the podium, Hudson-Smith’s form across the past two months meant the destination of the gold always felt like a foregone conclusion.
He had won bronze at the World Championships five weeks ago, was disappointed to be beaten to silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but in Germany no one of any great sense would have bet against the 27-year-old completing the sequence.
He got the job done in style, with a modest field well beaten off the final bend as Hudson-Smith cruised to a defence of the title he won in 2018.
Victoria Ohuruogu narrowly missed out on a medal in the women’s 400m event
Andrew Pozzi also fell short in his quest for a medal in the men’s 110m hurdles
Given his personal circumstances, including the recent admission that he attempted suicide last year, his success this season has been delightful.
He said: ‘I’m so happy to be European champion again. It has been a busy summer. I am so pleased to be able to compete against the best in the world – there’s not much more you can ask for really.’
Later, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Victoria Ohuruogu, the younger sister of Olympic and world champion Christine, was fourth in the women’s 400m. Andrew Pozzi was a disappointing sixth in the 110m hurdles.
