With two medals and two records, Matt Hudson-Smith certainly earned his beer

“I need a beer, man,” remarked Matthew Hudson-Smith at the Stade de France on Saturday night.

You couldn’t say he hadn’t earned one.

Three nights after winning silver in one of the greatest 400 metre races of all-time, Hudson-Smith stood in pretty much the same space in a nondescript corridor a short distance from the finish line, a bronze medal now added to his collection after a 4x400m relay final which also saw records tumble.

The USA, long the dominant force in the event, won their fifth title in six Games but needed to do so setting a new Olympic record, just about holding off the challenge of a Botswana quartet who ran a new African record.

For GB, meanwhile, there was a first 4x400m medal in 16 years and the bonus of taking down a national record which had stood since 1996. The two minutes, 55.83 seconds also broke the European record.

“Oh s***! Jesus!” exclaimed Hudson-Smith when informed of the latter fact, before promptly taking a seat on the floor.

His own split time of 43.09 was the fourth fastest ever and even more impressive for the fact that, over the last 50m, you could visibly see the exertions of the past week, those three individual races and the two relays, begin to catch up with him.

“I could not walk around the track at the end,” said Hudson-Smith. “But we said we were going to fight for each other and that is exactly what we did.”

While last Wednesday was all about individual glory, this was a team triumph and having been in his presence shortly after both it wasn’t easy to determine quite which Hudson-Smith enjoyed more.

What was clear is the high regard in which he is held by his team-mates. To Alex Haydock-Wilson, Lewis Davey and Charlie Dobson, he is an inspiration.

“We are all following in his steps,” said Haydock-Wilson, during an entirely unprompted tribute in which he also described the Wolverhampton man as: “The dominant force in 400m running.”

“Look at the energy. Look at how he fought for us,” he added, pointing to Hudson-Smith, who had at that point taken his place on the floor, head gazing toward the ceiling, taking it all in. “He has paved the way for British 400m running.”

It would be fair to say the role of leader hasn’t always sat comfortably with the naturally shy Hudson-Smith. But in this group, under the guidance of his former team-mate and now relay coach Martyn Rooney, he has found his voice.

“He didn’t want to be a captain because he felt like he had to give speeches,” explained Rooney, part of the last GB quartet to win an Olympic 4x400m medal in Beijing.

“I said no, you just have to be a good person, you are a good person and if you just relax and be a lad with the boys, that will work.”

Hudson-Smith set up a WhatsApp group which has helped build bonds and Rooney, himself praised by every member of the squad but keen to deflect it elsewhere, believes being around the team has helped his individual performances too.

“What has made him so good this year is he has learned how to focus on himself, but being around those boys keeps him in that same zone without losing that focus,” he said.

“That is the best thing he could have done. Just the way he has delivered as well. He understood why he had to run in the heats on Friday and it set us up for Saturday perfectly.

“He has matured into such a great person. It is amazing to see how much he has developed and how much of a leader he has become.”

Under Rooney, GB are enjoying a renaissance in 4x400m relay racing and they will return from Paris with three bronze medals, after the mixed and women’s teams also made the podium, the latter just a few minutes after the men on Saturday.

Though the coach’s bold pre-Games prediction they could beat the Americans didn’t quite come to pass, they got closer than most expected. There is proof the gap is closing and what not to so long ago seemed impossible now feels very much attainable.

“People laughed at me when I said we could beat America before we got here,” he said, “The times we have run, we would have done comfortably and America have stepped up and been incredible themselves.

“But I think that is the sport. The sport has moved forward, so our goals have to keep moving forward.

“The national record is a big thing for us and now they need to push us on. As a group of athletes they are really hungry, which I really like. I am really lucky to work with them.”

“It is not just possible, is it inevitable. That is how we see it,” said Haydock-Wilson when the prospect of beating the Americans was put to him.

“We were there when people were talking about us, when we were fumbling around trying to find our feet.

“That led to something as well. That was our learning process and it needed Martyn to bring us all together and get the best out of us. We have learned from our mistakes.”

Hudson-Smith, meanwhile, just could not keep smiling.

“We put our heart and soul on that run and it is an amazing feeling to come away with the team and deliver for the country and ourselves,” he said.

“We smashed the national record out of the park. I can’t honestly describe how amazing of a feeling that is.”