Running News Daily

Amy Hunt has become the queen of the 100m in Birmingham, producing a magnificent home victory at the European Athletics Championships to complete one of the most satisfying full-circle stories of her career.

The British sprinter delivered when it mattered most at Alexander Stadium, powering to the European title in 11.00 seconds with a legal following wind of 1.0m/s. Hunt held her nerve in a fiercely contested final to finish ahead of Poland’s Ewa Swoboda, who clocked 11.02, while Belgium’s Delphine Nkansa took bronze in 11.06.

For Hunt, however, the significance of the victory went far beyond the medals and the times.

Only recently, she stood on the same podium at the Commonwealth Games after winning silver in the 100m. In Birmingham, she has gone one step further, upgrading silver to gold and claiming continental glory in front of a home crowd.

And the venue could hardly have been more appropriate.

In 2017, a teenage Hunt won the English Schools 100m title at Alexander Stadium, taking her first major steps towards the international stage. Almost a decade later, she returned to the same track with a European championship final ahead of her — and left it as European champion.

The connection to her past was not lost on Hunt. Speaking after her victory, she reflected on the extraordinary number of familiar faces around the stadium.

“There are people here who literally worked at those championships [English Schools],” she said.

Those words captured the remarkable nature of the moment. The same stadium that witnessed Hunt’s emergence as a promising young sprinter has now hosted one of the defining victories of her senior career.

Her 11.00-second performance was a display of composure and belief under immense pressure. With Swoboda only two hundredths behind and Nkansa another four hundredths adrift, there was little room for error, but Hunt produced a perfectly timed performance to claim gold.

The victory also represents another significant chapter in her progression. From English Schools champion in Birmingham to Commonwealth Games silver medallist and now European champion on the same home track, Hunt’s journey has been marked by steady progression and an ability to deliver on major championship occasions.

For British athletics, it was an especially memorable moment: a home-grown sprinter returning to the stadium where her international ambitions first began and turning those early dreams into European gold.

Amy Hunt did not simply win the 100m in Birmingham. She completed the circle.

The countdown is on for one of the most anticipated meetings of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season, with the Athletissima Lausanne Diamond League set to deliver another spectacular night of world-class athletics on August 21.

A loaded women's sprint programme will take centre stage, highlighted by an electrifying 200m showdown featuring some of the biggest names in global athletics. The event promises speed, drama and championship-quality competition as the world's elite battle for Diamond League glory.

Leading the field is Shericka Jackson, the Jamaican sprint sensation and the second-fastest woman in history over 200 metres. Jackson arrives in Lausanne chasing another Diamond League victory and, given her exceptional pedigree, the meeting record could be under serious threat if conditions are favourable. Widely regarded as one of the greatest 200m runners of all time, she will be aiming to continue her impressive form as the season reaches its decisive stages.

Joining the star-studded line-up is Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Bahamian superstar whose résumé includes two Olympic 400m gold medals and a world title. Renowned for her powerful finishing speed and championship experience, Miller-Uibo adds another layer of excitement to what is already shaping up to be one of the highlights of the meeting.

The field also features Amy Hunt, the reigning world 400m silver medallist, who continues to establish herself among the world's elite. Her presence ensures the competition will be fierce as she tests herself against some of the most accomplished athletes of this generation.

With such an exceptional line-up confirmed, Lausanne is expected to produce one of the fastest women's sprint races of the season. The Swiss meeting has earned a reputation for delivering unforgettable performances, and fans will be hoping another chapter of athletics history is written on August 21.

As the race for Diamond League points intensifies ahead of the season finale, every result carries extra significance. For Jackson, Miller-Uibo and their rivals, Lausanne represents another opportunity to make a statement, sharpen their form and build momentum before the year's major championships.

With Olympic champions, world champions and record-breaking sprinters all set to take the track, the Athletissima Lausanne Diamond League promises an evening of elite competition that athletics fans around the world will not want to miss.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships burst into life today in Toruń, ushering in a weekend of elite competition where fine margins and bold decisions will define champions.

From the opening session at 9:05am, the world’s best athletes step onto the track with everything on the line. In the men’s 3000m, Britain’s Josh Kerr renews his rivalry with American star Cole Hocker in what promises to be a race of both strategy and raw finishing speed.

Attention will also turn to the 1500m, where Portugal’s Isaac Nader faces off against Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell—two athletes eager to stamp their authority on the global stage.

Yet, one of the most compelling narratives belongs to Keely Hodgkinson in the women’s 800m. Heading into the championships, Hodgkinson has revealed a powerful shift in mindset—one rooted in rediscovering the fearless version of herself that first broke through as a teenager.

“I’m embracing my 19-year-old fearless self who doesn’t think so much—and it’s working for me,” she said. “I’m having fun with everything. Competition brings so many different things, so you don’t actually know what’s going to happen. I’m really excited to embrace that.”

It is a statement that captures both maturity and liberation. No longer weighed down by expectation, Hodgkinson enters the championships with clarity, confidence, and a renewed sense of joy—qualities that could prove decisive in a tactical two-lap battle.

Elsewhere, the men’s pole vault will once again revolve around the extraordinary Armand Duplantis, while Britain’s Molly Caudery looks to challenge for top honors. In the high jump, Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers brings consistency and composure to an event where every attempt counts.

The sprint events promise explosive action, led by Julien Alfred in the women’s 60m. She faces strong British opposition from Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt, while Jeremiah Azu aims to make his mark in the men’s race.

As the championships unfold, one truth remains—indoor racing rewards the brave. And with athletes like Hodgkinson embracing uncertainty rather than fearing it, Toruń is set for moments that could define the season.

The stage is ready. The energy is building. Now, it’s time to race.

The delay of the Games to sprinter Amy Hunt and the teenage sprinter’s eyes light up and she smiles. “We’ve been given this extra year and it’s a year to get fitter and faster before trying to make our first Olympic team. So I think it’s worked out really well for me.

“There are no negatives for young athletes like me when it comes to having the Olympics pushed back because we’ll have a better chance of being selected when those trials come around.”

In 2019 Hunt won the European under-20 200m title and set world under-18 and British under-20 records at the distance. This year another great sequence of results has led to her being named AW readers’ junior female athlete of the year again in 2020.

In February she won the British indoor 60m title in 7.39 before improving to 7.36 for fourth at the Müller Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow. Then, when outdoor track meets started, she raced exclusively at 100m instead of 200m at events ranging from the British Champs in Manchester, where she was fourth, to her first Diamond League in Doha, where she placed sixth.

“I can’t describe how good it was to go to my first Diamond League in Doha,” she says. “To experience the hype and energy there was really fun.”

She turns 19 in May and is looking forward to returning to her specialist distance of 200m after spending 2020 working on her ability get out the blocks quickly. “We also felt the biggest gains were to be made over 100m and we treated it almost as a freebie year,” she explains.

“We stripped back and focused on that start again and it definitely really helped and I saw an improvement in my start. At the British Champs I felt really confident and able to put together a first 20m.”

She adds: “It was interesting to have the focus on the 100m because going into an event knowing it’s not your favorite event and to be one of the slowest was an interesting process for me to learn. It was good to head into a race not being too star-struck and to just focus on my lane.”

She has also stepped up her training on the track and in the gym. “Heading into next year I’m in a really good position,” she says.”I have more confidence in my technical abilities and during what has been effectively a free year I’ve upped the amount of time I’ve done in the gym. Now three a week and I’m seeing a lot of gains from that.”

She adds: “This winter increased track sessions and gym so I now train six days a week. It was rough for my body to deal with for the first two weeks but I’m not getting used to that kind of exertions and I’m discovering recovery techniques that work for me.

“I really do enjoy winter training in a bit of a sadistic way. I’ve liked being back on the track and in the gym this winter. If you want to get to a certain level, you have to love what you’re doing. My coach Joe is always cracking jokes and creates a really good environment to be in.”

So what really motivates her to put on her kit and start training? Is it the Olympics or World Under-20 Championships next year? Or the idea of improving her PBs?

“I think it’s a combination,” she says. “But the most important to me is putting the work in so my idols become my rivals. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. I want to be the best that I can be and be up there with those people who I used to idolize and now want to race.”

As for those idols, she says: “A younger me definitely looked up to Allyson Felix a lot. I’ve always looked up to Dina (Asher-Smith) because she’s always such an amazing role model for the sport. She encompasses a lot of values that I hold dear to myself too.

“Shaunae Miller-Uibo is an amazing athlete and people like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have gone away and had a baby and returned to run well so there are lots of amazing female role models out there.”

So far she has not spent much time with any of them. The only time she has bumped into Asher-Smith, for example, was the Great CityGames in 2017. But she adds: “Hopefully I’ll be meeting most of them next year in Tokyo!”

World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and World Indoor 60m champion Murielle Ahoure will lead the women’s 60m line-up at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow on 15 February.

Fraser-Pryce has a personal best over 60m of 6.98, the eighth-fastest time in history. The time gave her gold at the World Indoor Championships, Sopot 2014.

Fraser-Pryce, who won four world titles, Berlin 2009, Moscow 2013, Beijing 2015 and Doha 2019, maybe targeting the World Indoor Championships in March.

Ahoure, the 2018 World Indoor champion, was second to Fraser-Pryce in Sopot 2014. She was also second at the World Indoor Championships 2012.

Ahoure has a personal best of 6.97, the sixth-fastest time in history.

Jamaicans Natalliah Whyte, who has a 7.12 personal best, and Christiania Williams with 7.14 as her career-best, are also in the field.

World youth 200m record-holder Amy Hunt of Great Britain will also enter with her 7.34 personal best.