Amy Hunt Chases Four Golds and a Place in European Athletics History
Amy Hunt already has two. She wants four. The 24-year-old from Cambridge is attempting to become the first athlete in the 92-year history of the European Athletics Championships to win four gold medals in a single week — a feat no sprinter, jumper, thrower or distance runner has managed across nine decades of the competition (The Guardian).
Hunt won the 100m title on 10 August in 11.00 seconds, becoming the first home champion of the Birmingham 2026 championships and the third British woman to take the European 100m crown since 2018 (European Athletics). Three days later, on the evening of Thursday 13 August, she added the 200m gold in 22.19 seconds — a European lead time and a new British record (European Athletics). She fended off Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke and Britain's own Dina Asher-Smith to do it, completing the sprint double (winning both the 100m and 200m at the same championships) for the first time since Asher-Smith herself in 2018 (Olympics.com).
The two remaining golds would come from the relays: the mixed event on Saturday and the women's 4x100m on Sunday. Great Britain are the reigning champions in the women's 4x100m, and the relay pool includes Hunt alongside Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita (European Athletics). Germany are expected to push them hard.
What makes Hunt's run to the brink of history so striking is how close it came to not happening at all. She suffered a severe quadriceps rupture so serious that her mother had to lift her out of the shower. This year, low blood pressure has caused her to nearly faint several times — including at the London Diamond League in July, when she had to be taken to the medical room after racing the 200m on the verge of collapse (The Guardian). She now takes salty electrolytes regularly, uses cold towels to help raise her blood pressure, and checks it daily at training.
The talent has never been in doubt. Hunt broke the world 200m junior record as an 18-year-old and won a world championship silver medal in Tokyo. British sprinter Adam Gemili has noted that her stride length opens up to around 220cm — enormous for a woman covering a sprint distance. She studied English Literature at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and now lives in Padua, Italy, where she visits the Guggenheim museum every month and prepares for races by playing puzzle games like Wordle and Connections to steady herself (The Guardian).
Away from the track, Hunt is already second favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. Four golds in Birmingham would make her very hard to catch.
The championships at Alexander Stadium run from 10 to 16 August. Hunt's place in the record books — or just short of it — will be decided across the final weekend.
