Matthew Hudson-Smith

1.1. Childhood and Education

Born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, on 26 October 1994, Matthew Hudson-Smith joined the local athletics club, Birchfield Harriers, in 2006. He stands 6.4 ft ^{(1.94 m)} tall and weighs 172 lb ^{(78 kg)}. Initially, he competed in a variety of events before narrowing his focus to sprints from 2008 onwards. In 2010 and 2011, his primary concentration was on the 200 metres. He achieved runner-up positions at the English Schools Championships in the 200m in both 2011 and 2012. He eventually won the title in 2013 at the age of eighteen, overcoming a series of hamstring injuries and illness. During 2012 and 2013, he pursued an AASE Apprenticeship at Loughborough College. Subsequently, he enrolled as a Physical Education and Sports Coaching student at the University of Worcester, balancing his academic pursuits with his rigorous training and competition schedule.

1.2. Transition to 400m and Early Career

Hudson-Smith made his international debut for Great Britain at the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships in Rieti, Italy. He performed strongly, setting a 200m personal best of 20.88 seconds in the semi-finals and securing a bronze medal in the final, contributing to a British medal sweep. He also earned a second bronze medal as part of the British 4×400 metres relay team, running the second leg.

In the 2014 season, Hudson-Smith shifted his focus to the 400m event, working under the guidance of his coach, Tony Hadley. This new specialization led to a remarkable improvement in his times, starting from a personal best of 48.76 seconds at the beginning of the year. He ran 46.29 seconds at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Florida in April, followed by a personal best of 45.80 seconds in Belgium in May. Although he ran a fast race at the British Athletics Championships, he was disqualified for a lane infringement.

His breakthrough came at the Glasgow Grand Prix, a Diamond League event, where he finished in the top three with a time of 44.97 seconds. This achievement made him only the second British teenager to run under 45 seconds for the distance and placed him second on the European rankings for the season. He expressed surprise at his rapid improvement, stating, "I've no idea where that came from, no idea at all." Following this, he was selected to represent England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 4×400m relay.

2.1. Junior and Early Senior Career

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, United Kingdom, representing England, Hudson-Smith ran the fastest split on the final leg of the 4×400m relay. He successfully overtook Trinidad and Tobago's Zwede Hewitt and held off Olympic champion Chris Brown to secure a gold medal for his team with a time of 3:00.46.

Later that year, at the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zürich, Switzerland, he earned a silver medal in the individual 400m with a time of 44.75 seconds, finishing behind his compatriot Martyn Rooney. This achievement came despite receiving a warning from officials for instability at the set position. He also contributed to the British 4×400m relay team's gold medal victory, where they ran 2:58.79.

2.2. Olympic Games

Hudson-Smith was selected for the Rio Olympics to compete in both the 400m and the 4x400m relay. In the 400m, he qualified for the final with a personal best of 44.48 seconds, ultimately finishing 8th in the final with a time of 44.61 seconds. In the 4x400m relay, his team was disqualified in the heats after Hudson-Smith was judged to have started running outside the takeover zone while receiving the baton.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hudson-Smith achieved a significant milestone by winning the silver medal in the 400m event with a time of 43.44 seconds. He finished just behind gold medalist Quincy Hall, who won in 43.40 seconds, with Hall overtaking him in the final 49 ft ^{(15 m)} after Hudson-Smith had led for most of the race. This performance marked the first time an athlete failed to secure an Olympic gold medal in the 400m with a time under 43.75 seconds. His time of 43.44 seconds is the sixth-fastest all-time in the 400m, making him the fifth-fastest person in the event's history across all competitions. He also led the British 4x400m relay team to a bronze medal, producing a split of 43.09 seconds in the final, which was the fourth-fastest 4x400m relay split in history at the time.

2.3. World Athletics Championships

At the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, United Kingdom, Hudson-Smith reached the semi-finals of the 400m but did not qualify for the final, finishing fourth in his semi-final with a time of 44.74 seconds. He did, however, secure a bronze medal as part of the men's 4x400m relay team, alongside Dwayne Cowan, Rabah Yousif, and Martyn Rooney, completing the race in 2:59.00.

In the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Hudson-Smith won a bronze medal in the 400m with a time of 44.66 seconds. This marked his first individual medal at the World Championships and made him only the second British 400m runner to medal in the men's event.

The following year, at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, he earned a silver medal in the men's 400m, clocking 44.31 seconds in the final. Notably, he broke the European record in the semi-finals of this championship with a time of 44.26 seconds.

2.4. European Athletics Championships

Hudson-Smith has an impressive record at the European Athletics Championships. In addition to his 2014 performances, he won gold at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, in the men's 400m, winning the final with a time of 44.78 seconds. He also secured a silver medal in the men's 4x400m relay at the same event, with a time of 3:00.36.

At the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, he achieved a double gold, winning both the men's 400m with a time of 44.53 seconds and the men's 4x400m relay with a time of 2:59.35. As of 2022, Hudson-Smith became the most decorated British male athlete in European Championships history, with seven medals, second overall only to French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre.

2.5. Commonwealth Games

Representing England, Hudson-Smith won a gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He later earned a silver medal in the 400m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, competing on the track at Alexander Stadium, where he had trained in his youth. His time in the 2022 400m final was 44.81 seconds.

2.6. National Championships and Records

Hudson-Smith holds multiple British national titles. He has won the British Athletics Championships 400 metres title five times (in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022). In 2024, he won his first national 200 metres title at the 2024 British Athletics Championships, setting a new personal best of 20.34 seconds. In 2022, his winning margin of 1.26 seconds in the 400m at the British Athletics Championships was the largest in the men's 400m at those championships for over 30 years.

He holds the current British and European record in the 400m, with a personal best of 43.44 seconds, achieved at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He also holds the European and British 4x400m record of 2:55.83, set with the Great Britain team in the final of the men's 4x400m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He currently holds the top five fastest times ever run by a European athlete in the 400m.

His personal bests include:

• 400 metres - 43.44 seconds (2024) - joint sixth fastest time in history. The only men to run faster were all world record holders and/or Olympic champions, though Butch Reynolds was not an Olympic 400m champion, his gold was in the relays.
• 200 metres - 20.34 seconds (2024)
• 60 metres - 6.96 seconds (2012)

His national titles are:

His international competition record is as follows:

2.7. Coaching and Training

Prior to the 2018 season, Hudson-Smith relocated to Florida, United States, and began training with Coach Lance Brauman at the PureAthletics camp, which also included prominent athletes like Noah Lyles and Shaunae Miller-Uibo. In the 2022 season, he switched coaching groups to partner with Gary Evans.

4.1. Standing in the Sports World

As of September 2024, Matthew Hudson-Smith was ranked as the number one 400m runner in the world. His personal best of 43.44 seconds in the 400m makes him the 5th fastest athlete of all-time over the distance and holds the top five fastest times ever run by a European athlete. This remarkable consistency and speed have led to him being widely considered the greatest British and European 400m runner in history. His achievements include winning five Diamond League events.

4.2. Impact on British and European Athletics

Hudson-Smith's record-breaking performances, particularly his multiple European and British records in the 400m and 4x400m relay, have significantly raised the profile of sprinting in Britain and Europe. His seven medals at the European Championships make him the most decorated British male athlete in the history of the competition. His consistent presence on the podium at major championships, including the Olympics and World Championships, has inspired a new generation of athletes and reinforced Britain's position as a strong contender in global athletics.