Matt Hudson‑Smith shows his class in successful 400m European title defence

World bronze. Commonwealth silver. And now European gold. On a balmy night in Munich, Matt Hudson‑Smith not only became the first British athlete to win a treble of medals across three major championships in the same summer, he did so in style. As he crossed the line in a one-sided 400m final in 44.53sec, the field were gasping far behind him.

But this night was not only about making history for Hudson-Smith. It was about something deeper. In 2014 he won this event as a teenager, and when he defended it successfully in 2018 many expected him to soar into the sporting stratosphere. But in 2019 he tore his hamstring and achilles. In 2020 he racked up medical debts in the US and his mental health issues worsened. In 2022, however, he has been an athlete reborn.

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“Last year was a big low,” he said. “You fight a lot of struggles and I’m pretty sure everyone in the world has been fighting their own demons. I’ve had a lot of great people around me. I’m a testimony that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to stick through it and the results will show. Everyone who is going through struggles, just fight through it and you will come through.”

But Hudson-Smith insisted his struggles did not make him a role model. “I’m just trying to be real. It is nice being known as a role model, but I’m not going out of my way to do that. I’ve made mistakes as well in my lifetime. I’m just a human being making mistakes like everyone. But I am open about it. It’s quite a taboo subject as a man. Not a lot of people speak about it.”

Hudson-Smith had finished third at the world championships in July behind