Matthew Hudson-Smith set a new European 400 metres record with a storming season-opening run at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo.
Hudson-Smith surged clear to win in 44.07 seconds, breaking his own European best of 44.26 set at the 2023 World Championships. “I knew coming into this I was in good shape, the plan was to execute and get ready,” said Hudson-Smith.
“I did exactly that and now I’ll get ready for the Europeans and the big one, which is the Olympics. I’m going to take it [European Championships] like it is a mini-Olympics. I want to get ready for three rounds and the Europeans is the perfect opportunity to get ready for the Olympics.
“My coach has got a knack of getting ready for the championships, as you can see.
“We have a plan and we know what we’re capable of, but I’m not going to put a time out there. At the end of the day the goal is to get the golds and the medals and as long as I’m healthy I’m in the hunt really and truly.”
In Budapest last August, Hudson-Smith led until the closing stages but was unable to hold off the Jamaican Antonio Watson and claim world championship glory.
Nine months on from that painful defeat Hudson-Smith, who was running with his name upside down on his vest, surged out of the blocks at the Bislett Games and powered on in the final straight to win by more than half a second.
Grenada’s Kirani James, the former world and Olympic champion, was second in 44.58 with the American Vernon Norwood third in 44.68.
Laviai Nielsen and Victoria Ohuruogu finished seventh and eighth respectively in the women’s 400m as Marileidy Paulino made it three wins from three Diamond League meetings this year.
Daryll Neita ran a season-best 22.50 to finish third in the women’s 200m behind the American Brittany Brown (22.32) and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (22.36).
Jessie Knight made ground down the home straight to finish fifth in the women’s 400m hurdles in a season’s best time of 55.52.
Jeremiah Azu, who broke the 10-second barrier for the 100m for the first time last weekend, appeared to pull up with cramp and crossed the line last as South Africa’s Akani Simbine took the honours in 9.94.
Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet won the men’s 5,000m in dramatic fashion by recording the second fastest time in the history of the event.
Gebrhiwet clocked an astonishing 12:36.73, less than a second and a half from the world record held by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei.
The Olympic 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm suffered a rare defeat in front of his home fans as the Brazilian Alison dos Santos edged him out to win in 46.63.
But fellow Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen held on to win the men’s 1500m, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion diving across the line to beat Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot in a 2024 best time of 3:29.74.
Para athlete Zachary Shaw was second in his 100m event behind Norway’s Salum Kashafali.