At the UK Athletics Championships held at Alexander Stadium, Amy Hunt produced one of the best runs of her career, clocking 11.01 seconds to secure victory in the women’s 100m. The 24-year-old surged through in the latter stages to edge past reigning European champion Dina Asher-Smith, who finished second in a season’s best 11.13 seconds, while Mabel Akande claimed third in a personal best of 11.18.
Reflecting on her win ahead of the upcoming continental competition at the same venue, Hunt told spectators: “This was a nice dry run for the Europeans so if you can come out and be my lucky charm again, we can get another gold.”
The men’s 100m final produced an equally compelling storyline as Romell Glave powered to his first British title in a legally recorded sub-10-second performance of 9.98 seconds. Despite a strong late charge from Zharnel Hughes, Glave’s explosive start proved decisive.
Hughes finished second in a season’s best 10.01 seconds, with Louie Hinchliffe and Jeremiah Azu both stopping the clock at 10.03 seconds in a tightly contested finish.
Glave, 26, said after his breakthrough run: “I just came here running with freedom, and a person that's running with freedom is dangerous. I put myself in that field and executed my best race.”
Elsewhere on the track, Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson used the 400m event as part of her speed development, advancing to Sunday’s final with a time of 51.62 seconds. Charlotte Henrich impressed in the heats with a personal best of 51.20.
In the men’s 400m, Matthew Hudson-Smith, the 2024 Olympic silver medallist, topped the qualifying rounds in 45.24 seconds and remains one of the favourites heading into the final.
The field events also delivered memorable moments. Joel Clarke-Khan produced an emotional comeback in the high jump, clearing 2.27 metres to match his personal best after a long injury layoff, while Marcia Sey set a championship record in the 100m hurdles with 12.65 seconds. Elise Thorner also broke her own championship best in the 3,000m steeplechase, winning in 9:16.95.
In the throws and jumps, Lawrence Okoye dominated the discus with a championship record of 68.81 metres, and Stephen Mackenzie set a new Scottish record in the long jump with 8.15 metres.
With the European Championships set to return to the same Birmingham venue, the performances offered a strong preview of what could be an even more competitive showdown in the weeks ahead.