News Americas, PARIS, France, Thurs. Aug. 8, 2024: Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith may have cursed his bad luck at losing the gold medal to the US’ Quincy Hall, but he did find time to celebrate his silver medal and Caribbean roots.
Hudson-Smith, 29, proudly held up both the British and Jamaican flags during his lap of honor after the 400-meter final. He finished with a silver medal and a European best time of 43.44. “I haven’t seen both my Jamaican grandmothers in a while, so I held the Jamaican flag as an ‘I love you’ to them,” he stated.
Hudson-Smith’s parents are reportedly from Hanover, Jamaica. They surprised him by showing up at the stadium for his race and were there to wipe away his tears after his four-second loss to Hall.
Once an academy footballer at Wolves who also worked at a supermarket, Hudson-Smith received a late call-up to the 2014 Glasgow Diamond League and seized his opportunity by running under 45 seconds for the first time. He went on to win European silver at the age of 19. Driven to maximize his potential, he undertook a significant change in 2017 by relocating his training to Florida, temporarily living with US sprint star Noah Lyles.
That move came after placing last in the final on his Olympic debut in Rio, a remarkable feat itself after recovering from several stress fractures to make the team. Just a year later, he won his first individual international title at the European Championships, but his promising trajectory was abruptly halted.
A series of physical issues led Hudson-Smith to accrue substantial debt due to medical costs and a loss of sponsors, before injury ended his hopes of competing at the Tokyo Olympics. These events coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hudson-Smith struggled with his mental health through three years of “absolute hell” as he remained isolated from his family in the United States.
It was not until the 2022 World Championships, overcome with emotion after claiming his first individual global medal, that he revealed the true depths of his darkest days. At his lowest, Hudson-Smith attempted suicide.
Speaking after winning his Olympic silver, Hudson-Smith said: “I saw everyone in the crowd, they were all proud. They know what I have been through. They know that it has been a rough journey. Incredible highs and deep, deep lows.”
