While a fifth European gold is certainly on the agenda for Matt Hudson-Smith this summer, the sprinter wants to leave an indelible imprint on British athletics at his home Championships.
The Wolverhampton-born 400m runner has had a stand named after him at the Alexander Stadium as he returns to the home of his first club for the first European Athletics Championships hosted on UK soil at Birmingham 2026.
But Hudson-Smith, who is both the most-decorated British male athlete at the competition and the European record holder over 400m, wants to deliver more than just medals to his home city this summer.
“In a sense, I’ve got the medals, I’ve got the records and for me now, it’s more about legacy and showing people it can be done,” said the 31-year-old.
“Obviously the goal is to win. That’s the goal every time I step onto the track. But now I want to show myself a little bit more off the track and leave a legacy that’s going to help build on the momentum of 400m running.
“We already have a rich history with the Roger Black’s, Derek Redmond’s and the Martyn Rooney’s and I want to leave my own imprint and show the rest of the world that we are a sprinting nation.”
Hudson-Smith already has rich history at the European Championships to form firm foundations for that legacy.
His debut Championships over a decade ago at Zurich 2014 saw him take home 4x400m relay gold and individual silver with further relay podiums following at the next two champs.
But it was Berlin 2018 when he won his first individual gold, a title he defended at Munich 2022. Having missed the Championships to win Olympic silver in 2024, it is a title he will be intent on reclaiming this summer.
“[The past titles] show that we are dominant and we are the sprinting European nation. Hopefully it’s a British one, two, three and it’s me first,” he laughed.
“Winning the golds in Berlin and Munich were big for me but the first one in Zurich was the stepping stone for my career.
“It was a launchpad because I went in at the deep end and came short to Martyn, but it helped me grow as an athlete.
“It was definitely something that I cherish because every single great British athlete has had their European moment. This is a big competition in my eyes.”
It has not been the smoothest path to the Europeans. Hudson-Smith missed out on the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships after a turbulent 2025, despite securing silver in his two previous global finals.
But when it comes to a reset outdoors there are not many better places to return to than the home of his first club Birchfield Harriers at the Alexander Stadium.
His connection to the Perry Barr-base was honoured with the Matthew Hudson-Smith Stand announced to bear his name for the Championships.
“It’s very, very surreal,” he said after being presented with the stand in front of friends and family.
“It caught me off guard and it was a special moment to share it with my family, my agent and my boss Martyn [Rooney].
“It’s an indication of all the hard work I’ve put in to get a stand named after me. It was like the icing on the cake of a great career and I look forward to adding to it at Birmingham.”
And despite having made the move Stateside in 2024, Birmingham remains at the forefront of Hudson-Smith’s mind when it comes to his bid to inspire this summer.
In fact, he wouldn’t say no to being the Birmingham mayor given the chance.
“I said it as more of a joke to say I run the city, but if you’re going to give it [the mayoralty] to me then I would love it,” he said.
“The city as a whole, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, has done so much for me and it’s home at the end of the day.
“I love the people, I love the food, I love the culture. If we had good weather, I would never leave.
“It just means the world to me to come back here, run and just show my talents to the kids here and show them that they can do it.
“Once you’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve, it is all about leaving a legacy. So, it's like, how can I impact like people? I just want to give back and create my own legacy.”
