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Amy Hunt stormed to 100m gold at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Monday, claiming her first senior international title and delivering Britain's first gold medal of the competition.
Hunt finished in 11 seconds flat. She came from fifth place over the second half of the race to win, producing what BBC Sport described as a trademark strong finish.
The victory followed a string of near-misses at major championships. Last September, Hunt won world 200m silver in Tokyo, the first individual international medal of her senior career. Two weeks ago she took Commonwealth 100m silver. The pattern of silvers had begun to wear on her.
"I have had such a string of silvers and I was starting to get a bit fed up with it, so I thought it was time for gold," Hunt told BBC Sport.
Her parents had sensed the moment was coming. They gave her a pair of gold earrings before the championships, leaving a note two nights before the final telling her it was time to level up. Hunt said the gesture made her emotional.
"My parents gifted me these gold earrings to finally level up, because I wear all-silver jewellery," she said. "They said it was time for gold - they left me that note two nights ago - so it made me quite emotional."
Hunt's path to this moment was not straightforward. She set a women's under-18 200m world record in 2019 and broke Dina Asher-Smith's British under-20 record in the process, but the early years of her senior career were disrupted by injury. She also balanced elite training with studying for an English Literature degree at Cambridge University. In 2022, she ruptured her quad muscle. She now trains under coach Marco Airale in Padova, in northern Italy.
Earlier this season she broke the 11-second barrier in the 100m for the first time. Going into the championships, she had quoted High School Musical character Sharpay Evans to describe her ambitions, referencing the song "I Want It All."
"I want it all and I'm someone who doesn't shy away from what she knows she can do," Hunt said. "I knew I could come away with gold. I had such a big premonition."
Britain also took silver on the opening day in the mixed 4x400m relay. A quartet of Ben Jefferies, Charlotte Henrich, Toby Harries, and Yemi Mary John finished in three minutes 10.47 seconds. John held off Dutch athlete Myrte van der Schoot on the home straight. Norway won the event in 3:09.62.
