We thought the struggle was real for Matthew Hudson-Smith during an extraordinary 44 seconds at Hayward Field, as he fought the lactic acid in his legs and the fire in his lungs. Really, though, we had no idea. No idea at all.
Soon after the 27-year-old from Birmingham ended the race of his life with a world 400m bronze medal around his neck, and a smile that suggested glorious catharsis, he revealed the shocking truth of how everything had nearly gone permanently dark.
