GB's Hudson-Smith wins historic 400m gold on home track

Matthew Hudson‑Smith captured a historic 400‑metre gold for Great Britain at the European Championships in Birmingham, delivering a dominant performance on the track where he first trained as a junior. The 31‑year‑old crossed the line in 44.17 seconds, securing his eighth podium finish at the championships and moving level with France’s Christophe Lemaitre in the men’s medal count. Hudson‑Smith’s victory marks his third European 400‑metre title, adding to wins in 2018 and 2022, and gives him a career total of five European golds—matching the tallies of Mo Farah, Roger Black and Dina Asher‑Smith. It is now twelve years since his first European medal, a silver in the 400 m at the 2014 debut. Since then he has collected only golds at this level, including two 4 × 400 m relay crowns. The win also gave Great Britain its third gold of the championships. Shortly afterward, Emily Newnham claimed silver in the women’s 400 m hurdles, giving the host nation its sixth overall medal.