Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith bolted to victory for his third career European title and led the gold medal charge during a busy session of action on Day 3 at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Wednesday.
In the men’s 400m final, Hudson-Smith was in control right out of the blocks and quickly established and early lead as he opened up a gap on the field. Through the final turn with the home crowd behind him, Hudson-Smith began to fade but held on for the win in 44.17. France’s Muhammad Abdallah Kounta got silver in 44.40 and Jonas Phijffers took bronze in 44.41 for The Netherlands.
“The lane draw never bothers me, a 400m is a 400m,” Hudson-Smith said. “It’s always going to be hard, we train in every lane anyway so lane nine is something I’m used to. I tried to get out hard in the first 150 meters and take control of the race. I know I am the fastest in the field so I wanted to put the pressure on and put it out of reach for the rest of the field in the home straight.
For Hudson-Smith, the victory was his third European gold in the event, making him the only athlete to win three European 400m titles after winning in 2018 and 2022.
Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalová struck gold in the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.91 in a dominant performance over where she battled back from third early on but surged on the final three barriers. Great Britain’s Emily Newnham was second in 53.33 and Portugal’s Fatoumata Binta Diallo finished third in 53.55.
“It is a very relieving feeling to confirm why I was the favorite and to win my first major gold medal,” Zapletalová said. “I fulfilled my target to become the European champion. Honestly, I am not very glad for that performance and my run. The target was to run for a new PB but I was far away from my maximum.”
Switzerland’s Jason Joseph won a dramatic men’s 110m hurdles after recovering from a slow start to win in 13.12 on a final lean at the finish line as he edged past France’s Just Kwaou-Mathey (13.16) and Poland’s Jakub Szymanski (13.26).
“I’m feeling great, feeling amazing,” Joseph said. “It was a tough race but I did what I had to do to win the gold so I’m super happy. I came here, managed my SB and was very close to a PB. It was a great night. My last couple of training sessions were really good, warm-up was great, so I knew all I had to do was what I had done in practice. I’m glad I was able to do that.”
In the women’s hammer throw, Finland’s Silja Kosonen took gold with a 76.28m toss on her third attempt and entered Birmingham determined to settle for nothing less than top podium spot. Her early toss paid off as no other competitor pushed past 76 meters with Italy’s Sara Fantini taking silver in 74.35m and Norway’s Beatrice Nedberge Llano grabbing bronze with a 72.88m throw.
“I came for gold,” Kosonen said. “I ended fourth or fifth too many times before. But coming here, I felt confident. I had a good season, felt consistent and have not had too many injuries or any problems. I felt good and confident. A first major senior medal – it means a lot.”
Day 3 Results
Women’s Hammer Throw
1. Silja Kosonen (Finland) – 76.28m
2. Sara Fantini (Italy) – 74.35m
3. Beatrice Nedberge Llano (Norway) – 72.88m
Men’s 400m
1. Matthew Hudson-Smith (Great Britain) – 44.17
2. Muhammad Abdallah Kounta (France) – 44.40
3. Jonas Phijffers (Netherlands) – 44.41
Women’s 400m Hurdles
1. Emma Zapletalová (Slovakia) – 52.91
2. Emily Newnham (Great Britain) – 53.33
3. Fatoumata Binta Diallo (Portugal) – 53.55
Men’s 110m Hurdles
1. Jason Joseph (Switzerland) – 13.12
2. Just Kwaou-Mathey (France) – 13.16
3. Jakub Szymanski (Poland) – 13.26
