Freshly-crowned European sprint double-champion Amy Hunt revealed she battled through fear of fainting after reeling in Dina Asher-Smith to win the women’s 200 metres final in Birmingham.
The 24-year-old was the favourite in Thursday’s final, watched by 20,082 fans – the biggest crowd at the European Athletics Championships so far – and crossed the line in 22.19 seconds, nine hundredths of a second quicker than Irish silver medallist Rhasidat Adeleke’s new national record and one tenth ahead of Asher-Smith.
Hunt, who is targeting an unprecedented British four golds in one championships and won the 100m on Monday, yelled “Are you not entertained?” at the camera – a reference to the Russell Crowe epic film Gladiator – before opening up about her behind-the-scenes health battle.
“Two out of four, baby!” Hunt said on the BBC. “Honestly, the 100m is the hardest mentally and the 200 is the hardest physically.
“I’ve had a lot of health things going on this year, some really low blood pressure, and it’s meant the 200s have been really scary.
“I’ve been nearly fainting after a lot of my 200s this year, so I just had to go into that one and get on the bend and be really brave, but it was an amazing race.”
Asher-Smith, who took bronze, got out to the faster start but Hunt – who is better known for the back end of her race – was neck-and-neck after the bend then pulled ahead.
Success Eduan, the third Briton in the final, who beat Hunt on the same track at the British Championships in June, was sixth in 22.66s.
The addition of a mixed 4×100 relay alongside the women’s-only edition has opened the possibility for world silver medallist Hunt to gun for a European quadruple, unprecedented for a British athlete.
Asked later what it meant to make it halfway to her ambitious target, Hunt, from Newark, told reporters: “I can’t even put it into words because I’ll start crying.
“It means so much. This year has not been that easy and to do such an iconic thing in Birmingham, as close to my home as I’m ever going to get…
“To handle all the pressure – this is the first time I’ve ever come into a major champs expected to win not just one event, but two – to be able to showcase all the work I’ve done, all the work my coaching staff, my family, everything that everyone has put into me – this medal is for everyone.”
Asher-Smith said: “I would have much rather had a different colour, but any medal is a medal, isn’t it? I think that’s my (ninth) European medal in my career.
“It says a lot to come back year-on-year and perform, and to be one of the fastest women in the world, whatever is going on in your life and still being there, I’m happy with that.”
Asher-Smith still has the potential to become the most decorated athlete in European Championships history, should she participate in both relays. The current record belongs to Poland’s Irena Szewinska, who won 10 between 1966 and 1978.
Mark English won Ireland’s first individual men’s gold medal at the European Championships as he finished first in the 800m.
