'Best bend I've ever run' - Hunt's strong season continues in Brussels

Amy Hunt continued her impressive late‑season surge at the Diamond League final in Brussels, posting a season‑best 22.16 seconds in the women’s 200 metres to secure third place, just 0.08 seconds shy of her personal record. The British sprinter, fresh from winning four gold medals at the European Championships in Birmingham, was edged out by St Lucia’s Julien Alfred, the year’s fastest 200 m runner, who claimed victory in 21.79 seconds, and American Kayla White, who finished in 22.00 seconds. Hunt described the race as “one of the best bends I’ve ever done,” noting she felt close to Alfred until the final 20 metres, where fatigue from a long season set in.

The podium finish marks a clear upward trajectory for Hunt on the 15‑stop elite circuit, improving on her fifth‑ and sixth‑place results in the 2025 and 2024 Diamond League finals, respectively. Her preparation, which includes intensive 400‑metre training and short 45‑second recovery intervals during winter sessions, appears to be paying dividends, allowing her to handle a packed schedule that also includes a 100 m race on Saturday alongside Olympic silver medallist Sha’Carri Richardson. Hunt’s performance also placed her as the highest‑finishing Briton in Brussels, with compatriots Matt Hudson‑Smith and Jake Hayward finishing fifth in the 400 m and eighth in the 1500 m, respectively.

The Brussels meeting featured a host of other notable outcomes: world champion Oblique Seville won the men’s 100 m in 9.90 seconds, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed his fourth consecutive Diamond League 800 m title, and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.12 m to win the pole vault after Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis withdrew with a leg issue. The event also foreshadowed upcoming storylines, as the inaugural Ultimate Championships in Budapest, beginning 11 September, will see Hunt double‑up in the 100 m, while Olympic 100 m champion Noah Lyles announced an injury‑forced early season end, leaving a significant gap in the star‑studded start lists.

⚡ Effects Interpreter