Matt Hudson-Smith missed out by four-hundredths of a second on a first British gold in the men’s 400m since the flying Scotsman Eric Liddell in 1924, but a slew of silver medals keeps Britain neck-and-neck with France in the Olympic medal table.
It was a lightning-quick affair at the Stade de France with both Quincy Hall, of the USA, and Hudson-Smith, from Birmingham, putting in the fastest runs of their careers in a thrilling race that was decided in the final yards. Hall’s 43.40 was the fifth fastest of all time while the British runner, who had been favourite for gold, beat his own European record with a time of 43.44. Muzala Samukonga of Zambia took bronze in 43.74.
