Amy Hunt won the European 100m title in Birmingham in 11.00sec, delivering Britain a major home-soil sprint success and the first major championship gold of her career.
The 24-year-old finished ahead of Ewa Swoboda of Poland and Delphine Nkansa of Belgium, turning a difficult journey into a breakthrough moment on one of the biggest stages in European Athletics Championships medal table tracking.
A breakthrough after setbacks
Hunt's victory carried extra weight because of what came before it. A few years ago, she ruptured one of her quadriceps so badly that her mum needed to lift her out of the shower. Since then, there have been setbacks and near-misses, but also clear signs that her speed has returned.
At 18, Hunt was the world's fastest woman over 200m. Last year, she won a 200m silver medal in Tokyo. A fortnight ago, she was beaten into silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In Birmingham, though, she found the step up to gold.
She had arrived at the European Championships saying, simply, “I want it all,” and she backed that up with a composed final. Hunt admitted her start was not perfect, but said she had learned not to panic and to trust her long legs and long femurs to finish strongly.
Why the win matters
For Britain, this was more than just another medal. It was a marquee sprint title won at home, with Hunt embracing the occasion rather than shrinking from it. She said she thrives under pressure and that Birmingham felt like her track, pointing to the fact she had won English Schools there and raced there as a 13-14-year-old.
Hunt also framed the victory as a personal milestone. “Honestly, it’s just euphoria,” she said after the race. “My first gold. I think it was definitely time to upgrade.” She added that it was “definitely a coming of age” and made clear the ambition does not stop here.
She had planned to chase four gold medals at the European Championships, including relays and the 200m, and said she wants to be the best. “I don’t shy away from that,” she said. “I train incredibly hard, and I back myself so incredibly hard because I do want to be the best.”
For now, the headline is straightforward: Amy Hunt is European 100m champion, Britain has a new sprint star, and the medal table in Birmingham has a gold medal result that could shape the rest of the meet.
