Matthew Hudson-Smith wins historic 400m gold at European Championships in Birmingham

Matthew Hudson-Smith won the 400m gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, becoming the first man to win three European titles in the event. Competing at Alexander Stadium, where a stand is named in his honor, the 31 year old won with a time of 44.17 seconds. Muhammad Abdallah Kounta of France took silver in 44.40 seconds, and Jonas Phijffers of the Netherlands took bronze in a national record of 44.39 seconds. Hudson-Smith started the race in lane nine, which he noted meant he was blind to his challengers. With this victory, he equalled the men's record medal tally of eight at the championships, matching French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre. He also joined Mo Farah and Roger Black as British athletes with five gold medals and matched Dina Asher-Smith as the most decorated British athlete in the history of the championships. In post race interviews, Hudson-Smith stated that he knew he was the best in the world and that he knew the track well because he had trained there since age nine. He also criticized reports suggesting he had been carrying an injury, telling reporters to come with the facts. Great Britain saw further success that night as Emily Newnham won silver in the women's 400m hurdles with a personal best of 53.33 seconds, while Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova took gold. While the center lean coverage focused on the emotional and historic nature of the homecoming, the center left lean coverage included a critical analysis of ticket sales and the appeal of Birmingham as a host city compared to previous European venues.