‘Are you not entertained?’ – Hunt enters stardom with iconic quadruple

August 17, 2026 No Comments

‘Are you not entertained?’ – Hunt enters stardom with iconic quadrupleFigure caption, Hunts wins fourth gold as Great Britain storm to mixed 4x100m relay victoryByHarry PooleBBC Sport journalistPublished55 minutes agoAmy Hunt did not realise what she had done the first time she created headline-making history.But Great Britain’s new sprint sensation forewarned everyone exactly what was coming here.Seven years ago, attending a meet in Germany primarily as part of a national junior relay squad, Hunt also decided to contest the 200m.While Hunt, then 17, knew it was quick, she was soon informed that she had broken the under-18 women’s world record.In a time of 22.42 seconds, she had run faster than all of her childhood idols at that age. It also bettered the British under-20 record, three months before its former holder Dina Asher-Smith won the world title.The following year, Hunt was named as one of the ‘faces to define the decade’ by Vogue magazine. Thrust into the spotlight, she was invited to an event alongside film and music stars. Hunt had travelled from her hometown of Newark, while actors such as Jacob Elordi arrived from Rome fashion week.The world appeared to be at Hunt’s feet. Today, she knows as much as anyone that progress – especially in sport – is rarely linear.The 24-year-old has overcome her share of setbacks to achieve a historic haul of four European gold medals in a sensational seven days on home soil.She made no secret of her intention to become “iconic” with that unprecedented achievement, completed in Sunday’s mixed 4x100m relay.Back to full health, and her confidence in her ability fully restored, Hunt is now realising her full potential – and beginning to transcend the sport in the process.History for Hunt and Asher-Smith in golden finish for GB

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“Are you not entertained?!” Hunt roared at the TV camera after completing her individual sprint double in Birmingham.

She has settled in immediately at Alexander Stadium with 100m gold on the opening night. Round by round and medal by medal, it became her stage – and this her championships.

She is now among the frontrunners to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

But there were periods since 2019 when Hunt doubted if such moments would be possible. It would be six years until she beat her 17-year-old self over 200m.

Hunt has never been afraid to choose the hard path. Undertaking an English Literature degree at Cambridge University, she was determined to prove – as she did in winning silver at last year’s World Championships – that you can be “an academic badass and a track goddess”.

Once the disruption caused by the pandemic subsided, she was ready to kick on in 2022 and lined up ready to test herself against Jamaican great Elaine Thompson-Herah at an indoor meeting in Birmingham.

Fate had other ideas. Hunt left that day unable to walk, and a scan would show she had fully ruptured a tendon in her quadriceps.

To ensure a full recover was possible, surgery followed. Requiring assistance from her mum just to get in and out of the shower, she would watch that year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on crutches.

Faced with the decision of whether to continue her final year, or postpone her exams and restart the year completely following her rehabilitation, Hunt powered on to avoid her final year clashing with the Olympics.

Her reward for doing so was an Olympic 4x100m relay silver medal, before a breakthrough 2025 culminated in her first individual global medal in Tokyo.

That sustained progress over recent seasons has come since she made another significant decision, uprooting her life to the north Italian city of Padua to be coached by Marco Airale.

‘This is her stage!’ – Hunt takes 200m gold

At almost 6ft tall, Hunt’s major area for improvement remains her start.

That will remain their focus as attention turns to rivalling the sport’s greatest stars on its biggest stages.

While her least favourite of the sprint disciplines, that continues to involve winters focused on shaving time off her 60m best, which she again lowered this season to 7.04 – the eighth-fastest worldwide this year.

Hunt’s major strength, meanwhile, is undoubtedly her top-end speed. In the 200m in particular, she takes great confidence in knowing few can match her in the closing stages.

“To win a global 100m nowadays, you have to run around the 10.75-second mark. Amy knows that’s what she has to work towards and improving her start will get her towards that,” double world 110m hurdles champion Colin Jackson told BBC Sport.

“If she wants to win the 200m, she has to be around the 21.7, 21.8-second mark, and I think she’s really capable of doing that.

“I think she would look at her performances and think that she can do that. She’s not far away.”

While Hunt finally broke the 11-second barrier in the 100m for the first time this season, there have been unforeseen challenges as far as the 200m is concerned.

For still unknown reasons, Hunt, who lowered her 200m personal best to 22.08 in winning world silver, has struggled with low blood pressure during longer efforts which has left the verge of fainting, including at the London Diamond League in July when finishing fifth.

Electrolytes and cold towels have been among the solutions which have helped ease those concerns as the season has progressed, and she demonstrated excellent strength to hold off Asher-Smith and Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke in winning the European title.

Britain’s Hunt powers to women’s European 100m gold

Hunt is not afraid to voice her bold ambitions.

Announcing that she “wants it all” before these championships, Hunt, even in these early stages of her senior career, has demonstrated a propensity to thrive on major stages, and under ever-increasing expectation.

“Four golds was the dream and perhaps dreams do come true,” stated Hunt.

“It’s so beyond the bounds of my dreams that I’m just euphoric. I can’t believe it’s happening.

“I think it will sink in later, maybe on the podium. I’m just so proud of myself and the way I’ve handled this week.”

The Briton has already spoken about the big goal: repeating her sweep of the sprint golds at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Her playlist – she creates one for every major event – is already being built as she begins to visualise how that might feel.

She will be well aware how much work there is to do. So far this year, she ranks 14th-fastest worldwide in the 200m, and 25th in the 100m. Asher-Smith’s British records, at 21.88 and 10.83 seconds respectively, remain untouched since 2019.

The next opportunity for global honours, beyond the inaugural World Ultimate Championships in September, will arrive at next year’s World Championships in Beijing.

And, once the dust has settled on a momentous week, Hunt will set about translating continental domination to glory on the sport’s biggest stages – just as British team-mate Asher-Smith achieved following her European treble in 2018.

“Amy has already won world silver, but she was not a favourite then,” Jackson stated.

“Now, it’s a big change. She is a champion and she has to go and take on the best in the world.

“Is it going to be easy? No. But this will fill Amy with confidence. She will be on start lines trusting her ability is great, and I’m hoping that she will go from strength and strength.”

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