RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesGreat Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith wrote his name in history as the joint-most decorated man of all-time at European Championships by claiming a dominant 400m gold on his childhood track in Birmingham.
Storming down the home straight to rapturous cheers inside the stadium where he trained as a junior, and which now has a stand bearing his name, Hudson-Smith raced clear to complete a golden treble in the event following success in 2018 and 2022.
Crossing the line in 44.17 seconds, the 31-year-old secured his eighth podium at the championships to equal French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre's men's record medal tally.
Handling the weight of expectation on his shoulders, the local lad-turned-global star walked up into the north stand to place a hand on the banner displaying his name after delivering for his home crowd - more than two decades after he joined local club Birchfield Harriers at the age of nine.
"Honestly, words can't describe how much that meant to me," Hudson-Smith told BBC Sport.
"Nobody was going to beat me on this track. This is my home.
"I know this track like the back of my hand. I have my stand. Now I'm going to go for Mayor of Birmingham and Wolverhampton!
"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."
It is 12 years since Hudson-Smith won the first of his European Championship medals, claiming 400m silver on his debut in 2014.
Since then he has dealt only in golds in his individual event at this level, alongside two 4x400m relay titles.
With this latest triumph, Hudson-Smith joined British greats Mo Farah and Roger Black on five golds, while matching Dina Asher-Smith as the most decorated British athlete in the history of the championships.
It was Great Britain's third gold of the championships, while Emily Newnham added the hosts' sixth medal overall with silver in the women's 400m hurdles final shortly after Hudson-Smith's victory.
Born in Wolverhampton, Hudson-Smith said before the championships that it would "mean the world" to land gold not only home soil, but inside the arena which fostered his love for the sport.
With the illustrious career he has gone on to achieve since those early training sessions - recognised by the renaming of a stand in his honour - he would not be denied in his pursuit of history.
But Hudson-Smith did not make it easy for himself.
Entering the championships as the fastest European this year, the Briton admitted he "misjudged" his semi-final after fading to second place in his heat - an error which meant he had to pursue gold from the outside lane.
Unable to monitor the early progress of his rivals, Hudson-Smith went out hard and had established enough of a gap entering the home straight to reassure the home fans that all was under control.
The European record holder over 400m, and the sixth-fastest man of all time in the one-lap event, missed out on successive global titles by mere fractions of a second at both the World Championships in 2023 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
Those stunning silvers followed the toughest period of his life, but he put three years of "absolute hell" behind him to win world bronze in 2022 as he re-established himself among the world's best.
On the European stage, there has been no shortage of golden moments - but none will come close to this emotional full-circle moment.
Speaking on BBC TV, three-time world heptathlon champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill said: "What a moment. This will stay with Matthew Hudson-Smith forever.
"It means so much and the pressure was piled on him. Anything but a gold medal here for him would have been a disappointment."
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