Amy Hunt has made a promise to the fans in Birmingham this summer – they will be seeing plenty of her at the European Athletics Championships.
The World Championship silver medallist over 200m has made the Europeans her absolute priority this summer and will compete over both 100m and 200m individually, as well as in two relays at the Alexander Stadium.
That makes for a packed schedule, but Hunt would not have it any other way, in her first chance to compete at a major outdoor championship on home soil.
Full programme planned
She explained: “One of the great things about being a versatile sprinter is that I can compete over both the 100m and 200m. The downside is there are lots of opportunities, so sometimes it's difficult to say no.
“Our number one priority is the European Championships. It's the first time they've been held in the UK, so we're aiming to compete in the full programme there: the 100m, 200m, women's 4x100m and the new mixed 4x100m, because that would be really iconic.
“I'll be doing everything, so you'll probably be seeing a lot of me every day.”
The mixed 4x100m relay will be particularly interesting, as it makes its major championships debut at the Alexander Stadium.
Relay strength
Hunt has shown her value as a relay runner in taking Olympic silver two years ago, a matter of weeks after a European gold, both in the women’s 4x100m.
And while sprinting is a very individual sport, Hunt relishes the opportunity to join forces with the likes of Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita to bring back medals.
She said: “That's one of the beautiful things about relays. Everyone brings different strengths, and together you create something even stronger.
“We know Great Britain has one of the best relay squads in the world, and we've consistently won medals on the biggest stages.
“We had relay practice and it was lovely seeing everyone again because we all live in different countries, so we don't get together very often. We caught up, talked about the season.
“It might seem strange to people that we go from being rivals to teammates, but ultimately we all want to win. When we come together, we become even stronger.”
Diamond League form
That catch-up with her relay colleagues came just before the Wanda Diamond League event at the London Stadium, where Hunt ran in the 4x100m relay and the 200m.
She was part of a British that won the relay, before having to settle for fifth in a high-class field in the 200m, won by Julien Alfred, the Olympic champion over 100m.
Hunt produced a season’s best of 22.30, a hundredth faster than she had managed at the same event the year before.
She kicked on from that performance to produce the best showing of her career so far when she won World Championship silver in Tokyo last September.
And with her participation in London only confirmed in the days before because of an illness in the build-up that had forced her to cut short a training session, Hunt believes the signs are positive that she could come away with even more individual success this summer.
She added: “It's pretty much the same time I ran here last year, so if anyone's paying attention, they'll know that's a pretty good omen.
“At Christmas I wrote down my goals, and now I'm starting to think, "Wow, maybe we can chase those." I think I'm always a bit of a dark horse going into championships, so no matter what's happened during my season, people should never write me off. I'm excited.”
Balancing athletics and academia
As a former junior standout – Hunt still holds the world under-18 record for the 200m – this development to the highest level has not come as a complete surprise.
She has achieved it while also studying at the University of Cambridge, from which she graduated in 2023, recovering from a ruptured tendon the previous year, before heading out to Padua, where she now trains.
That has meant putting education on the backburner while she focuses all her attention on athletics, but it remains something she is keen to explore.
She added: “I've always said I'd like to do a master's degree at some point.
“That hasn't happened yet, partly because I now live in a country where I'm still not fluent in the language. But I'd definitely like to return to academia one day because I really enjoy it.
“I'm a human being before I'm an athlete. I want to experience the world, keep learning, grow intellectually, and be inspired by things outside my own little sporting bubble. I think it's healthy to live as broad a life as possible.
“There was a master's programme at the V&A that I was looking at recently, so perhaps that's something I'll come back to.
“Athletes, particularly women, are increasingly showing that our lives can be much broader than just track. We can study, have careers alongside athletics, and pursue different interests. Life is much bigger than the nine lanes out there.”
Life is bigger than those nine lanes, but when it comes to Birmingham, most of Hunt’s time will be spent racing down them.
