It was tears of joy and disbelief for Great Britain’s Amy Hunt as she stormed to a silver medal in the women’s 200m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, marking a stunning breakthrough on her global debut.
The 23-year-old crossed the finish line in 22.14 seconds, edging out Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson in a dramatic sprint that left the Tokyo crowd roaring. The gold medal went to American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who completed a clean sweep of the sprints after also winning the 100m, becoming the first woman since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013 to achieve the double.
As the result flashed on the giant scoreboard, Hunt clutched her face in disbelief before skipping down the track with tears streaming, the enormity of her achievement sinking in. “I can’t stop smiling or crying,” she admitted. “When I saw my mum, I broke down. I thought about my grandad before the race, and I knew he was watching over me. This medal is for him.”
Hunt’s emotional silver was Great Britain’s second medal of the championships after Jake Wightman’s silver in the men’s 1500m, and a moment of redemption for the young sprinter whose early career was stalled by injuries and the challenge of balancing athletics with her studies at Cambridge University.
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Dina Asher-Smith, the 2019 world champion and Hunt’s British teammate, finished fifth but was quick to praise the rising star. “Amy did amazingly, bless her. I’m a little disappointed with my own race, but Amy’s performance was incredible,” she said.
For Hunt, the silver medal represents her first individual global podium finish, following relay success as part of Britain’s 4x100m silver medal-winning team at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The former world junior record-holder in the 200m, who once broke Asher-Smith’s under-20 record, has now fully arrived at the senior level, defeating the two-time defending champion Jackson on the biggest stage.
Under the guidance of coach Marco Airale in Italy, Hunt has enjoyed a breakout season, setting personal bests in the 60m, 100m, and 200m. Earlier this year, she clocked 7.09 seconds in the 60m indoors, climbed to fourth on Britain’s all-time 100m list, and entered the nation’s top three in the 200m.
With her Tokyo silver, Amy Hunt has announced herself as the future of British sprinting, carrying both the weight of expectation and the promise of a career destined for greatness.
