UNIVERSITY of Worcester graduate Matthew Hudson-Smith has been selected for Team England’s athletics squad for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The 22-year-old Wolverhampton-born sprinter, who was named ‘Senior Male Sportsperson of the Year’ at the 2016 Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sports Awards, will compete in the 4×400 metres relay at next April’s Games.
He is one of 75 Team England athletes, alongside Adam Gemili, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Greg Rutherford.
Hudson-Smith will head Down Under fresh of the back of winning a bronze medal for Great Britain in the 4×400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships in London this summer.
No stranger to the international arena, Hudson-Smith finished eighth in the final of the men’s 400m at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
The sprinter also won gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow and silver in the 400m at the 2014 European Championships, in Zurich.
Sarah Winckless, chef de mission for Commonwealth Games England, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be announcing such a strong athletics team for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“We’re putting forward some of the best athletes in the world and we’re confident we’ll be sending the most prepared English team to Australia next April.”
Martin Rush, Team England athletics team leader, said: “With just 75 places available, selection was always going to be a difficult task given the number of high-performing English athletes, but we’re happy we’re taking a team that will be ready to perform at their best in Australia.”
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will run from Wednesday, April 4 to Sunday, April 15, 2018.