Matthew Hudson-Smith

Matthew Hudson-Smith (born 26 October 1994) is a British track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. He holds, as of July 2024, the British and European record, running a personal best of 43.74 seconds for the distance at the London Diamond League. He was the 2018 European Champion in 400 metres, and a member of the gold-winning teams in the 4 x 400 metre relay at the 2014 European Athletics Championships, with Great Britain and 2014 Commonwealth Games with England.

In the summer of 2022 he won his first individual global medal, a bronze, in the 2022 World Championships, only the second British male after Roger Black to win a World Championships medal in the event. Weeks later, at his home track in Birmingham, United Kingdom he won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games representing England, before retaining his European title at the 2022 European Championships event in Munich. By retaining his 400-metre European crown, he matched the achievements of countrymen Roger Black and Martyn Rooney. He is, as of 2022, the most decorated British athlete in European Championships history, with seven medals, second overall only to French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre.

Career
Born in Wolverhampton, he joined his local athletics club, Birchfield Harriers, in 2006. He competed in a variety of events before focusing more on the sprints from 2008 onwards. In 2010 and 2011 he mainly concentrated as a 200 metres runner. He was runner-up at the English Schools Championships over that distance in both 2011 and 2012 before finally winning the title in 2013 at the age of eighteen, after returning from a series of hamstring injuries and illness. During 2012 to 2013 he studied on the AASE Apprenticeship at Loughborough College and is now a Physical Education and Sports Coaching student at the University of Worcester, allowing him to continue his education at the same time as training and competing.

That year also saw his international debut for Great Britain: he performed well at the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships, setting a 200 m best of 20.88 seconds in the semi-finals before getting the bronze medal in a British medal sweep, behind Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Leon Reid. He won a second bronze as part of the British 4×400 metres relay team, running the second leg.

In the 2014 season, he returned to competing in the 400 m, working under his coach Tony Hadley. Coming from a personal best of 48.76 seconds at the start of the year, his new focus on the event greatly improved his times. He ran of 46.29 seconds at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Florida in April, then set a best of 45.80 seconds in Belgium in May. He ran a quick race at the British Athletics Championships, but was disqualified for a lane infringement.

His following race at the Glasgow Grand Prix marked a career breakthrough as he finished in the top three at the Diamond League race in a time of 44.97 seconds. This made him only the second British teenager to dip under 45 seconds for the distance and placed him second on the European rankings for the season. Hudson-Smith surprised himself with the level of improvement, saying "I've no idea where that came from, no idea at all". He was chosen to represent England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 4×400 m relay alongside Conrad Williams, Michael Bingham, and Daniel Awde. On his return to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games he ran the fastest split on the final leg to overhaul Trinidad and Tobago's Zwede Hewitt and hold off Olympic champion Chris Brown, winning the gold medal for the team.

At the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zürich, Switzerland, Hudson-Smith won the silver medal in the individual 400 m in a time of 44.75 seconds, behind compatriot Martyn Rooney. This is despite receiving a yellow card (warning) from the officials for not being stable in the set position.

In 2016, Hudson-Smith was selected for the Rio Olympics in the 400m and the 4x400m, he qualified for the final with a pb of 44.48, and finished 8th in the final with a time of 44.61. He ran in the heats of the 4x400m relay, but his team were disqualified as Hudson-Smith was judged to have been outside the takeover zone when he started running to receive the baton from Delano Williams.

At the 2017 World Championships, Hudson-Smith made it to the semi-finals, however, could not make it to the finals as he finished fourth in his semi-final. he won bronze as part of the men's 4x400m relay, with his teammates Dwayne Cowan, Rabah Yousif and Martyn Rooney

He won gold at the 2018 European Championships in the men's 400m, winning the final with a time of 44.78, he also won silver in the men's 4x400m relay.

Hudson-Smith missed the 2020 Olympics through injury, but returned the next year and broke the British national record at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene clocking 44.355. He went on to win bronze at the 2022 World Championships later in the year, his first individual medal at the World Championships He won gold at the 2022 European Championships in both the men's 400m and men's 400m.

In 2023, he won the silver medal in the men's 400m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships breaking the European record in the semi-finals with a time of 44.26.

Hudson-Smith opened his 2024 season with a 200m personal best of 20.39 in Florida, he was part of the British team for the 2024 World Athletics Relays, finishing sixth in the men's 4x400m final. He broke his own European record at the Bislett Games in Oslo clocking a time of 44.07. He set a new personal best of 20.34 seconds in winning his first national 200 metres title at the 2024 British Athletics Championships on 30 June.

Hudson-Smith lowered his European 400m record again at the Diamond League meeting in London on 20 July 2024, winning the race in a time of 43.74.

Personal bests

 * 400 metres – 43.74 sec (2024) European Record
 * 200 metres – 20.34 sec (2024)
 * 60 metres – 6.96 sec (2012)

National titles

 * British Athletics Championships
 * 400 metres: (5) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
 * 200 metres: (1) 2024

International competition record
Representing unless otherwise stated.