Matthew Hudson-Smith smashes European record in statement win
Wolverhampton’s Matthew Hudson-Smith sounded warning of his Olympic gold medal potential by smashing his own British and European 400 metre record at the London Diamond League.
The 29-year-old went under 44 seconds for the first time in his career by clocking a time of 43.74 - the fastest in the world this year - less than a week before Paris 2024 begins.
Hudson-Smith, who won silver at last year’s world championships, has been in excellent form in recent months and had already broken the European record once when he posted 44.07 in May.
But this performance blew all before it out of the water and was a serious statement of intent on the eve of the Games.
"It was an amazing crowd. It's always good to perform in front of them and it's a great send-off," Hudson-Smith told BBC Sport.
"It's a long time coming and I'm actually healthy. Now I'm putting in a lot of work. The proof is in the pudding. I'm excited.
"One of the biggest changes is that I'm doing a lot of gym, which I actually hate. I'm an overall better athlete and better person. I'm on salads now."
