Wolverhampton's Matt Hudson-Smith breaks European record on way to 400m final
Wolverhampton's Matt Hudson-Smith sensationally broke the European 400 metres record at the World Championships last night.
The 28-year-old is now in pole position to claim the gold medal after Olympic champion Steven Gardiner pulled up in the semi-finals in Budapest.
Winning his semi-final Hudson-Smith's 44.26 second lap broke German Thomas Schönlebe's European record which has stood since 1987.
Hudson-Smith said: "I will be happy when I get that medal, as for [the record], that is just job done.
"Coach told me to execute 300m and make sure the job was done, and then when I knew I was clear. I was saving something for the final, and I did that. I just need to get that medal now.
"My coach told me beforehand to enjoy it. He said, 'have you done this before?' and 'do you feel like you deserve to be here?'
"I have worked too damned hard to not get to the final. So I am really happy to have made it and it is all about getting that medal on Thursday."
Now based in Florida, Hudson-Smith had a string of physical injuries and mental health problems before winning the 400m Bronze medal at last year's World Championships in Eugene, USA.
He had Achilles, hamstring and hip injuries which wrecked his hopes on the track since 2019 and also bravely detailed the battle which saw him try to end his life after missing out on the Olympics.
The Men's 400m Final will take place on Thursday evening and will be live on BBC 1.
