Hometown hero Hudson-Smith basks in Euro glory / Photo: © AFP
Hometown hero Hudson-Smith basks in Euro glory
Hometown hero Matthew Hudson-Smith enjoyed a dream return to the Birmingham track where he started out as a nine-year-old by regaining his European 400m title on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old, who had won the one-lap race at European championships in Berlin 2018 and Munich in 2022, said "nobody was going to beat me on this track".
Hudson-Smith, born in neighbouring Wolverhampton in England's West Midlands, even had a temporary stand at the Alexander Stadium for these championships named after him.
It was a fifth European gold for Hudson-Smith, taking him level with 400m runner Roger Black and distance great Mo Farah. He is just one behind Dina Asher-Smith in terms of British athletes.
Setting off quickly, the Briton had the 14,000-strong crowd on their feet as he clocked 44.17 seconds for victory, 0.23sec ahead of France's Muhammad Abdallah Kounta, who is coached by British sprint legend Linford Christie.
Dutch athlete Jonas Phijffers took bronze in a national record of 44.41.
"My coach told me 'This is your home -- defend it'. I knew that for them to beat me they have to have a super special moment," said Hudson-Smith.
"Nobody was going to beat me on this track. This is my home. I have been here since nine."
There were three other medal events in an entertaining evening session.
Switzerland's Jason Joseph won the 110m hurdles in 13.12 seconds in the final event, eliciting a sustained peal of cowbell ringing from a large Swiss contingent in the crowd.
France's Just Kwaou-Mathey took silver in 13.16sec and Poland's Jakub Szymanski bronze (13.26).
- Zapletalova fills Bol's shoes -
In-form Slovakian Emma Zapletalova filled the void left in the 400m hurdles by two-time world and European champion Femke Broeders-Bol with a dominant victory in 52.91 seconds.
Broeders-Bol has opted to transition into the 800m, leaving the field wide open.
Zapletalova, who won a bronze medal behind Broeders-Bol at last year's Tokyo world champs, led home Britain's Emily Newnham.
Newnham clocked a personal best of 53.33sec, with Fatoumata Binta Diallo of Portugal taking bronze in a national record of 53.55sec.
Silja Kosonen ensured Finland's first-ever medal in the women's hammer throw with victory with a best of 76.28 metres.
Kosonen, a former world under-20 champion who has placed fifth and fourth at the last two senior championships, threw her best on her third effort and never looked like being under real pressure from that moment.
Defending champion Sara Fantini of Italy claimed silver with 74.35, while Norway's Beatrice Nedberge Llano rounded out the podium (72.88).
Britain could also dream of more sprint glory as newly-crowned 100m champion Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith and Success Eduan all qualified for Thursday's final, scheduled for 2048 GMT.
Hunt coasted her semi-final in 22.37sec, while 2019 world champion and two-time European gold medallist Asher-Smith, fifth in the 100m final, won her semi in 22.49sec.
"The plan today was to come out and put down a hard first 150m, in order to practice it for tomorrow," said Hunt, who is aiming for four championship golds as she also plans to compete in both the women's and mixed 4x100m relays.
"I felt so strong from the turn and was just trying to look at the screen seeing where I was, what the time was."
Swiss defending champion Mujinga Kambundji, on the road back from becoming a new mother, will miss the final after coming in seventh in that semi, raising hopes further of a British cleansweep of the podium.
"It's amazing to have three British girls in the final," said Eduan.
"Me, Amy and Dina haven't actually spoken about the possible cleansweep. We all just want to focus on our own races, but it would be amazing if that did happen."
E.Dorame--LGdM
