With the European Athletics Championships starting in Birmingham on August 10, local hero Hudson-Smith is set to challenge for medals on the track where his athletic journey began.
Few athletes will receive more local support at this summer’s European Athletics Championships than Matthew Hudson-Smith.
With just two months to go until the championships start at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, the Wolverhampton-born 400m runner is set to return to the venue where he first discovered athletics aged 10 and later won the English Schools 200m title as a teenager.
Now 31, Hudson-Smith returns as one of Great Britain’s biggest medal prospects and one of the most decorated athletes in European competition. The fastest European in history over 400m with his personal best of 43.44, he has collected six medals at three European Championships, including individual golds in Berlin in 2018 and Munich in 2022.
The importance of competing on home soil is not lost on him.
“My relationship with Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the Midlands in general will always be strong,” he says. “They are synonymous with who I am.
“I’ve lived in Florida since 2017 and still haven’t lost my accent. It just shows how much I love being home.”
His connection to the city has already been recognized by organizers who have temporarily renamed Alexander Stadium’s north stand extension in honor of this year’s championships. It’s a fitting tribute to an athlete who spent his formative years competing at the venue and who has become one of the region’s biggest sporting success stories.
Despite moving to the United States nearly a decade ago, Hudson-Smith insists Birmingham remains home.
“I’ve never really wanted to leave Birmingham to be honest,” he says. “This is my house. I like it here.”
The move to Florida was driven by a desire to leave the Midlands sooner rather than later. After reaching the Olympic 400m final in Rio in 2016, he realized that many of the world’s top quarter-milers were training in America.
“I felt that I needed a change,” he explains. “I got to grow as a person and train with these guys because I got to see what they were all about.”
The decision was transformative. In 2022, he broke Ivan Thomas’ long-standing British record, before breaking the European mark that had stood for 37 years. He has since added world silver and Olympic silver to his growing medal collection, missing out on Paris Olympic gold by just four hundredths of a second.
After an injury-plagued 2025 season, Hudson-Smith is determined to remind people of his quality in front of his home crowd this summer.
“Before the worlds I was winning every race and coming in first, then I got injured at the wrong time,” he says. “After that injury, opening my season with a 44.25 (Rabat Diamond League) made a few people take notice.”
His preparations have also coincided with a major shift away from the track. Hudson-Smith became a father last year and admits balancing elite sport and family life has brought new challenges.
“I’ll be honest with you, it was a terrible winter in terms of sleep,” he laughs. “You’re juggling training and a little person. But we’re on it now.”
Far from being a distraction, fatherhood has given him a fresh perspective.
“I actually love being a father, it’s amazing. Watching her personality come out is a blessing. I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”
First, though, there’s unfinished business on the track. As Birmingham prepares to host Europe’s best athletes in August, Hudson-Smith knows expectations will be high. However, he relishes the prospect of competing for medals in front of family, friends and local supporters.
“I was 10 years old sitting in that stadium,” he says. “Now I have a position. I’ve been joking about it for years, and now it’s actually happened.”
In two months’ time he will be hoping to add something more memorable to his Birmingham story. another European gold medal on home soil.
