Matt steals the Hudlines with semi-final stormer
BIRCHFIELD Harriers continued to light up the European Championships track in Berlin as Matthew Hudson-Smith and Meghan Beesley seared into their respective finals.
Wolverhampton’s Hudson-Smith is the fastest European over 400m in 2018 and received a bye into the semi-final in Berlin, in which he cruised into tomorrow’s final with a time of 44.76.
The Birmingham athlete won his heat with ease, turning off the afterburners on the home straight, and is looking in fine fettle for the final having run the fastest time in qualifying.
Fellow Brits Dwayne Cowan, Martyn Rooney and Rabah Yousif were unable to make it through but Hudson-Smith, who took 400m silver in Zurich four years ago, was pleased with his run.
“Yes I was ready,” said the 6ft 4in sprinter. “I did what my coach told me, execute, get to 350m, show off, show them what you are made of, see where you are.
“I did exactly what I came here to do, I came here to execute, I came here to win and get to the final so I’m happy.
“Only I can stop myself winning gold at the end of the day. I came here as No.1, I came here to prove it.”
The only other man in the field to go sub 45 seconds this year – Spaniard Oscar Husillos – is also through, as are dangerous Belgian brothers Jonathan and Kevin Borlee.
Hudson-Smith added: “Everyone is (dangerous) who steps on the line. All eight lanes are going to be dangerous – they come here and put their focus on me. I just have to execute and the rest will sort itself out.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s 400m hurdles, fellow Birchfield Harrier Beesley ran a season’s best time of 55.21 to make it into Friday’s final alongside teammate Eilidh Doyle.
Beesley, of Polesworth, finished third in her heat but as one of best two qualifiers outside the top two in each heat.
“It was always going to be the hardest semi-final and it was, looking at it, so I knew I could easily come fourth in a seasons best and qualify. I obviously wanted to come in the top two but it’s OK,” said the 28-year-old.
“It is my first international final. It is exciting, I just need to go out there and run a bit better. I have medalled as a junior and as an under-23 so I have been there and done that.
“I feel like I am a bit old to be saying ‘I am here for the experience,’ I’ve been racing these girls all year and I just want to go out there, not put anyone on a pedestal and just go for it.”
Great Britain’s Tim Duckworth missed out on a medal in the decathlon at the European Championships as he slipped off the podium at the last.
The 22-year-old American-born athlete came fifth at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin with 8,160 points.
Duckworth, who held a 70-point lead going into the final two events, dropped to second after throwing 54.70 metres in the javelin and slipped back further after coming 17th in four minutes 58.28 seconds in the 1500m. Both were his weakest events as Germany’s Arthur Abele took the title.
Elsewhere, Dan Bramble came seventh in the long jump final after leaping 7.90 metres.
Adam Gemili scraped into the 200m final in the eighth and last qualification spot after running 20.46 seconds, with Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake fourth fastest in 20.35 seconds.
Gemili said: “It was such an amateur race, like it was my first time running a 200m. It was just terrible and it wasn’t clicking. I thought I ran a good bend and I was like, ‘right, I can just relax now,’ and I just took my foot off the gas too much.
“Suddenly everyone started going past me and I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Delano Williams pulled out of the 200m semi-final after a back spasm following qualifying.
Morgan Lake cleared 1.90m in high jump qualifying to reach the final in joint first while Lynsey Sharp, Adelle Tracey and Shelayna Oskan-Clarke all reached tomorrow’s 800m final.