Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith took the silver in the 400-meter race at the World Championships, after finishing 0.09 seconds behind Jamaican champion Antonio Watson.
The 28-year-old led until the closing stages but was unable to outpace Watson, who clocked victory in 44.22 seconds.
Hudson-Smith’s preparation was affected by a foot problem which he said sometimes made him “unable to walk”.
“I got a bronze last year, and a silver this year, so next time I’ll get the gold,” he said.
Hudson-Smith did his best in pursuit of his first world title, but was unable to respond when Watson overtook him to the finish line in Budapest.
The Briton made clear his gold medal ambitions after setting a European record in the semi-finals and initially seemed unsure how to respond to his achievement.
Crouching in a mixture of introspection and exhaustion after upgrading his medal for 2022, he managed to savor the moment after claiming his hard-earned silver.
It is Great Britain’s fifth medal of the championships and comes a day after Josh Kerr’s stunning victory in the 1,500 metres.
Hudson Smith is getting closer to the world title
Hudson Smith had insisted that last year’s bronze medal was just the beginning for him, believing that a world medal would allow him to unleash his full potential.
The unfortunate injury sustained by Stephen Gardiner, the favorite in the absence of champion Michael Norman, in the previous round left the medal battle wide open.
Hudson-Smith looked set to take full advantage coming out of the turn with a marginal advantage. But in the end, he paid the price for his previous effort, as he was unable to maintain the pace and finished the race in 44.31 seconds.
The silver remains an impressive feat for Hudson Smith, who has put three years of “sheer hell” behind him to win world bronze, Commonwealth silver and European gold in a stellar 2022 season.
What made these successes even more remarkable was what he overcame to achieve them.
Overwhelmed with emotion after crossing the line in Eugene, he revealed that he was struggling hard with his mental health in 2021 as he struggled with injury, debt, and the coronavirus pandemic.
And though he may have felt the title was there for him on Thursday night, the medal, which he won despite suffering from Achilles tendinitis this year, marks another milestone in his career.
Hughes qualifies for the final after a bizarre buggy accident
There was a delay in the start of the men’s 200m semi-final after a freak accident in which two Buggy cars transporting athletes competing in the first race collided on their way to the course.
Men’s 100m champion Noah Lyles was one of those involved in the accident.
An athlete and a volunteer were evaluated, the athlete was allowed to participate and the volunteer was also unharmed. The local organizing committee for the world championships said it would investigate.
When those races finally began, it was Britain Zarnell Hughes He progressed safely, finishing second to last year’s bronze medalist and rising star Erion Knighton (19.98).
Hughes, who became the first Briton to climb to the podium in the 100-meter race at the world level in 20 years, scored 20.02 seconds to qualify for fifth place in the overall standings.
Defending champion Lyles, whose semi-final was postponed to allow the athletes to recover, won his heat comfortably in 19.76 seconds – the fastest time on the tour.
Olympic and world silver medalist Kenny Bednarik also scored the victory (19.96 seconds), beating out Botswana runner Litsel Tebogo (19.97 seconds) from Botswana.
Asher Smith and Netta took home medals in the 200m
Three days after her disappointment by finishing eighth in the women’s 100m final, Dinah Asher Smith She left the track with a smile on her face after securing a place in the 200m medal race on Friday.
The 27-year-old, the 2019 world distance champion, clocked 22.28 seconds on her return to competition, finishing behind American Gabrielle Thomas (21.97) – who was ranked fastest this year.
He will be joined by his team mate Asher Smith Daryl Dennywho ran a personal best of 22.21 seconds to reach her first World Championship singles final.
citizen Bianca Williams She also ran a personal best, running 22.17 seconds, but was unable to advance from the star-studded semi-final match, which was won by champion Sherica Jackson.
The Jamaican won in a time of 22.00 seconds, followed on the line by the newly crowned 100-meter champion, Chakari Richardson (22.20 seconds).
in another place, Ben Pattison The two British runners secured their place in the men’s 800m final on Saturday, as they qualified in a non-automatic time of 1 minute 44.23 seconds, but Daniel Roden (1:45.38) and Max Borgin (1:47.60) missed out.
Anna buy And she ranked 11th in the women’s hammer throw final, with a time of 70.29 meters, while Canadian Camryn Rogers (77.22 meters) won the gold medal.
Paul’s redemption is completed with the Tentoglou set
overwhelming favourites Vemky Paul She won her first world title in the women’s 400-meter hurdles final, beating American Shamir Little with a time of 51.70 seconds.
The victory came after the 23-year-old sprinter suffered a tragic fall during her struggle to win the 4x400m mixed relay gold for the Netherlands on Saturday, with the team disqualified after she dropped the baton.
Greek Olympic champion in the long jump Miltiadis Tetoglu He completed his collection of major titles with a final round jump of 8.52m, defeating Jamaicans Wayne Pinnock (8.50m) and Tajay Gayle (8.27m).
On a successful night for Jamaica, Daniel Williams She won the women’s 100-meter hurdles gold in 12.43 seconds, defeating Jasmine Camacho Quinn (12.44) and Kendra Harrison (12.46).
Nigerian 100m hurdles world record holder Toby Amusan, who was allowed to compete late after a suspension was lifted for missing three drug tests, was sixth.
Norway Jacob Engbrijtsen He’s back on the track after stunningly losing the 1,500m to Kerr to safely qualify for the 5,000m, where he aims to defend his title.