Hometown hero Matthew Hudson-Smith stormed to 400m gold at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham to make it a hat-trick of career individual continental titles.
The 31-year-old from Wolverhampton, assigned lane nine, got out to an early lead he never relinquished despite efforts to reel him in, holding off his challengers to cross the line in 44.17 seconds.
The only dampener on the Olympic silver medallists achievement were the empty seats in the stadium, nowhere near capacity, including the temporary stand named after the European record-holder – who grew up on the track competing for Birchfield Harriers.
Moments later, Commonwealth Games 2026 silver 400-metre hurdles medallist Emily Newnham added to Great Britain’s European haul, sweeping up another silver.
It was Hudson-Smith’s fifth gold at a European championships, including relay medals, taking him to eight medals overall.
That also moves him to joint-most for a man at the Europeans with France’s Christophe Lemaitre, but Hudson-Smith has one more gold to his name.
There were worries about Hudson-Smith’s fitness for this final after he was overtaken by Phijffers in his semi-final, but he later confirmed it had been a tactical error, not a fitness issue, after underestimating what the Dutchman had left in the tank.
He saved his best for the final, reacting quickly off the block before building a commanding lead along the back straight, and ensured he would not be caught short in his own backyard for a second time.
Muhammad Abdallah Kounta of France took silver in 44.40s and Jonas Phijffers of the Netherlands rounded out the podium in a national record 44.41s.
Hudson Smith told the BBC: “Honestly, no, words can describe how much that meant to me.
“I knew the Dutch guy had the PB to beat me, so I was trying to conserve rounds. I was laughing all the way through, me and my coach.
“We got a couple of big races coming up. The Diamond League final, the Ultimate Championships, so it is about conserving yourself and getting ready.
“I knew I was the best in the world. I knew that, on paper, I was a second faster than every single one of these guys. It was about me and the clock.”
Olympic silver medallist Amy Hunt, who won the women’s 100m on Monday night to claim her first major title, carried on her quest to win four gold medals in Birmingham after qualifying for Thursday night’s 200m final in 22.37s.
It sets her up for a showdown with British record-holder Dina Asher-Smith, who also won her heat in 22.49s.
Success Eduan – who beat Hunt on the same track in June to become British champion – was one of the fastest remaining qualifiers, ensuring the hosts will have three medal hopefuls in a European women’s 200m final for a fourth time.
