The third day of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham saw Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith compete in the men's 400m final, while Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt both advanced to the women's 200m final. Asher-Smith won her semi-final in 22.49 seconds, and Hunt took hers in 22.38 seconds, the fastest time of the round.
Asher-Smith and Hunt advance in 200m
Dina Asher-Smith eased to victory in the first women's 200m semi-final with a time of 22.49 seconds. Gémima Joseph of France finished second in 22.68 seconds, and Dalia Kaddari of Italy was third in 22.96 seconds. Speaking after the race, Asher-Smith said: "I wanted to put down just enough to make sure I got an auto-Q. The important thing is to give every competitor the respect they deserve." She added: "A ninth European medal is a carrot for the final … I sometimes don't even know what number it is … I'm just trying to stay in the moment and execute."
Amy Hunt won the third semi-final in 22.38 seconds, easing up before the line. Jaël Bestué of Spain was second in 22.69 seconds, and Boglárka Takács of Hungary third in 22.77 seconds. Hunt told the BBC: "I would give that a good eight, solid eight. My plan was to put down a really, really hard turn, kill them to 150, and no one was ever going to hang with me … I think that's my second-quickest time this year, [I was] chilling at the end, so – exciting … see you in the final."
British one-two in men's 100m and other highlights
On Tuesday evening, Romell Glave won the men's 100m gold, with Jeremiah Azu taking silver. Glave told the BBC: "It's an ecstatic feeling to be here, after the hard work I've put in the last weeks and months. I've been dreaming of this moment since the start of the season … having that consistency through the season can bring great rewards … With hard work, everything is possible." Azu added: "Yesterday was a super special moment. I've worked for years to achieve something like this. To do it in front of a home crowd tops it all off. We work so hard, we race all around the world, but to have a moment like that in front of the British fans is amazing."
Other events and schedule
In the men's 110m hurdles semi-finals, Just Kwaou-Mathey of France won the first in 13.33 seconds, with Milan Trajkovic of Cyprus second and Zeno van Neygen of the Netherlands third in a personal best of 13.41 seconds. Jason Joseph of Switzerland took the second semi in 13.38 seconds, after Elie Bacari of France fell at the fourth-last hurdle while leading. The third semi went to Jakub Szymanski of Poland in 13.26 seconds, with Britain's Sam Bennett second in the same time, a personal best.
In the women's hammer throw final, Sara Fantini of Italy threw 74.35 metres with her first attempt, while Silja Kosonen of Finland led after the second round with 74.97 metres. Britain's Charlotte Payne threw 68.96 metres in the first round and 70.12 metres in the second, moving to fifth. In the men's decathlon, Leo Neugebauer of Germany led after the shot put with 2819 points, followed by Jeff Tesselaar of the Netherlands (2690) and Sander Skotheim of Germany (2638).
The evening session on Wednesday includes the men's 400m final at 8.50pm BST, where Hudson-Smith can become the most decorated male European athlete, according to BBC pundit Denise Lewis. She said: "He is the favourite, and I think by a couple of tenths. But he has to manage that excitement. He is home, everyone wants to see him lift that title … he has to manage that first 200, and not go out like a man possessed."
