‘I need all of it’ – British dash star channels High School Musical as she seeks European glory

Amy Hunt will compete in four sprint events in Birmingham at the European Athletics Championships this week and is determined to land glory

Amy Hunt is channelling High School Musical as she looks to win it all on home soil at the European Athletics Championships.

The 24-year-old British sprinter will compete in four events in Birmingham – the 100m, 200m and 4x100m women’s and mixed relays – which will see her in action on five days out of seven.

“To quote Sharpay Evans, ‘I want it all,’” said Hunt. “It’s important to be a complete sprinter and be competitive across the full 60, 100, 200 and relay. I’ve got a strict programme of what I’m doing to recover, but I can’t wait to get out there and experience the crowd as many times as possible.”

Hunt showed what she is capable of over 200m at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, storming to a superb silver – after which the Cambridge University graduate made headlines by saying she wanted to show it was possible to be “an academic badass and track goddess”.

She arrives in Birmingham in impressive form over a shorter distance having claimed 100m silver at the Commonwealth Games two weeks ago in 10.98 seconds but is looking forward to testing herself over 200m once more.

“I actually think that me and the 200m might have a lovely little reunion, a little make-up at these Championships,” she said. “We did a lot of testing in the last couple of weeks; we have some time trials that we do before major Champs. It’s looking really good and exciting, so I’m ahead of where I was before Tokyo. I think I can look forward to a happy renewal of our vows next week.”

Hunt’s Commonwealth silver came north of the border in Glasgow and Hunt is excited to have the roar of a truly home crowd behind her in the second city.

“I’m someone who really thrives off that competition environment,” she explained. “The noisier it is, the better it is for me. I love it so much. I had a small taste of that in Glasgow – that was my first experience of a somewhat home Championships.

“I can’t wait to see what it’s going to be like as someone who grew up watching London 2012, and then I was in the stadium for the men’s 100m final at London 2017 [World Championships] so I was part of the noise. It would be cool to see the next little lady in the crowd cheering me on.”

Hunt remains in search of her maiden major individual gold and will have to overcome British rival Dina Asher-Smith, among others, if she is to rectify that in this evening’s 100m showpiece. The event headlines the opening night in Birmingham with the starting gun to be fired at 9.50pm.

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