A UNIVERSITY of Worcester student finished 8th in the final of the Men’s 400 metres at the Olympic Games in Rio.
Matthew Hudson-Smith, who is studying Physical Education and Sports Coaching at the city’s university, ran in his first-ever Olympic final last night in the Maracanã.
He faced stiff competition for a medal, with the winner, South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk, smashing Michael Johnson’s 400m world record which has stood since 1999.
Hudson-Smith ran in a time of 44.61seconds- slower than his personal best he set in the semi-finals on Saturday (August 13) of 44.48seconds.
Kirani James, who won gold in the event four years ago at London 2012, finished in second place, whilst LaShawn Merritt took the bronze medal.
A British runner hasn’t won a medal in the 400m since Roger Black won silver at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
22-year-old Hudson-Smith has though already made his mark in the sport. In 2014 he won gold in the 4 x 400m relay at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
And he won silver in the 400m at the European Championships in Zurich in 2014.