Local favourite is dramatically run down in latter stages by Samukonga in Commonwealth 400m final

Nine years ago at the Alexander Stadium, Matthew Hudson-Smith announced himself as a huge talent when he equalled the championship record of 20.98 in his 200m semi-final at the English Schools before overhauling Ben Snaith to narrowly win gold in the final in 21.14.

Flash forward to 2022 and the Birchfield Harrier holds the British record for 400m and is reigning European champion at the distance. At the Commonwealth Games this week he went into the 400m final as favourite to win on his home track, but there was no fairytale ending as he was passed in the final metres by the fast-finishing Muzala Samukonga of Zambia and the Englishman had to settle for silver.

Hudson-Smith could almost taste victory as he led with 50 metres to go. But with lactic acid building up in his legs he was powerless to respond as Samukonga surged from fourth with 100m to go and into first to take the win in a PB of 44.66 as Hudson-Smith ran 44.81 and Jonathan Jones of Barbados clocked 44.89 in third.

The splits make for interesting reading as Hudson-Smith clocked 10.8, 20.9 (10.1), 32.2 (11.3) and 12.6, whereas Samukonga ran 11.3, 21.9, 32.9 and then 11.8 for last 100m. In fact Hudson-Smith was dying so badly, his final 100m was a similar time to Jacob Kiplimo’s home straight sprint in the 5000m as he ran the second half of his race three seconds slower than the first.

“I went for the win but I got the silver in front of the home crowd. I am disappointed but at the same time I can’t complain,” said Hudson-Smith. “My strategy was to come out relaxed, wind it up in the top bend then come on strong.

“I tightened up in the home straight. I probably could have done that a bit differently. I am sorry I couldn’t bring it home. I don’t want to make excuses – it happens.”

Such was Samukonga’s exhaustion, he kept falling over when trying to celebrate and was eventually wheeled out of the arena by medics after throwing up trackside.

His rise to win the Commonwealth title has been meteoric. He was fifth in the World Under-20 Championships in Kenya last year and is still aged only 19.

He came into 2022 with a PB of only 45.89 but in June he won the African title in 45.31, breaking a 10-year stranglehold on the title by athletes from Botswana. Then, at the World Championships in Eugene, he was third in his semi-final in 45.02.