Tears of joy as GB’s Hunt wins superb 200m silver at Worlds

Great Britain’s Amy Hunt announced herself on the global stage by claiming a superb 200m silver in her first major final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The 23-year-old stared up at the screen in disbelief before bursting into celebration and skipping down the track as her breakthrough achievement was confirmed.

Reaching for the line, Hunt edged out Jamaican sprint great Shericka Jackson for second place as American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed a dominant clean sweep of the sprint titles after gold in the 100m, while Dina Asher-Smith came fifth.

It was GB’s second medal of the championships, following Jake Wightman’s silver in the men’s 1500m.

“I have not stopped smiling or crying!” Hunt told BBC Sport.

“As soon as I saw my mum, I burst into tears. I knew I could do it as long as I put in a good turn and was with them off the bend. I am so proud of myself.”

After placing fifth in the world indoor 60m final in March – the least favourite of her sprint events – an emotional Hunt revealed her grandfather John had provided inspiration during “battles” during the winter.

Referencing a tattoo bearing his name on her arm following her stunning performance, she said: “Moments before the race, I just thought of my grandad.

“I knew he was watching over me, I knew he was going to guide me.”

Hunt was part of Great Britain’s 4x100m relay quartet that took silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and followed their European gold.

But this was her first individual global podium and, following an injury-disrupted start to her senior career while she balanced her sporting ambitions with studying English at the University of Cambridge, Hunt will hope there are many more to come.

“I am so proud of myself for choosing the harder path,” she added.

“I could have chosen an easier way out many times. I chose to go to Cambridge to get a degree – in part for myself to look back on and be proud of, but also to show other young sports people, other young girls that you don’t have to give up education.

“You can be an academic badass and a track goddess.”

Hunt broke into tears as she embraced friends and family, having delivered on the promise shown in breaking world junior records.

She set a women’s under-18 200m world record in 2019, breaking Asher-Smith’s British under-20 record in the process – in the same year her compatriot won her world 200m title in Doha.

One year later, Hunt was named as one of the ‘faces to define the decade’ by Vogue magazine.

But, after Hunt ruptured her quadriceps in early 2022, it would be six years before she was able to run a personal best again, finally doing so over 200m at the London Diamond League in July.

Having finished ahead of two-time defending champion Jackson on the sport’s biggest stage, Hunt proved she is ready to kick on in her career.

She clocked 22.14 seconds as Jefferson-Wooden stormed to her second gold in 21.68, with the 24-year-old the first woman to win both the 100m and 200m at a world championships since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.

Asher-Smith finished in 22.43 and said: “Amy did incredibly. I’m disappointed with my race. I think I could have done a better job of executing and I have to go away and work on that.”

Continuing her rise, Hunt arrived in Tokyo having set personal bests over 60m, 100m and 200m this season as she developed under the guidance of coach Marco Airale in Italy.

In a strong start to a year which has only got better, Hunt – keen to improve on her starts in particular – was delighted to achieve a significant personal best of 7.09 over 60m during the indoor season.

Typically not the quickest off the blocks, Hunt was joint-sixth after the first 100m.

From that point, though, she made up a deficit of 0.17 seconds with a blistering finish to overhaul Jackson, 31.

“Her form this year has gone from strength to strength,” four-time global heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill told BBC TV.

“For me, the most impressive thing with Amy is her pick-up in the latter part of the race. She was not letting anyone get away from her, she was tearing down those last 30 metres.

“What a fabulous silver medal for her.”

Hunt also moved up to fourth on the British all-time 100m list and into the nation’s fastest three in history over 200m when finishing runner-up to Asher-Smith in a thrilling photo finish at the UK Championships this year.

But she went even faster in booking her place in the world final, replacing Kathy Cook as the second-fastest British woman over 200m with a new best of 22.08.

That performance strengthened her belief before the final, where she seized her moment.

“I just beat some amazing girls and I can’t believe it,” said Hunt.

“I am showing that you can do everything. Anything you set your mind to, you can be the best at everything.”

On how she would celebrate, she added: “Maybe some karaoke tonight!”