How ‘choosing the hard path’ helped Hunt win superb 200m silver

Amy Hunt, a British athlete, won a fantastic 200-meter silver medal at her first major final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, making a global debut.

As her breakthrough accomplishment was confirmed, the 23-year-old stared up in disbelief before burping into celebration and skipping down the track.

As American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the 100-meter sprint title in record time with the victory of Dina Asher-Smith in fifth place, Hunt edged out Jamaican sprint great Shericka Jackson for second place as they raced to the line for the line.

Following Jake Wightman’s silver medal in the men’s 1500m, it was GB’s second championship medal.

“I’m still smiling and crying”! Hatt announced her stunning performance to BBC Sport.

“I burst into tears right away when I saw my mother. As long as I made a good turn and was off the bend, I knew I could do it. I’m so proud of who I am.

An emotional Hunt revealed that her grandfather John had inspired her during her “battles” during the winter after placing fifth in the world indoor 60m final in March, which was her least favorite sprint event.

Hunt cited a tattoo of his name on her arm that he had earlier this year and said, “Moments before the race, I just thought of my grandad.

I was certain that he would guide me and that he would watch over me.

Hunt’s mother Claire told BBC Sport, “Oh my God, I haven’t actually taken it in yet,” when describing her daughter’s accomplishments. What a star, that is just amazing.

“O my God, what a star! It’s been a long time coming, there’s been ups, there’s been downs,” the singer said.

“We’ve had two grandparents for a year, and one of them became very ill and passed away.

Hunt competed in the 4x100m relay team from Great Britain, which won silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics and followed their European gold.

However, Hunt will hope there are many more opportunities for her to achieve this individual podium as she recovers from a broken wrist from her senior career while balancing her sporting ambitions with her University of Cambridge English studies.

She continued, “I’m so proud of myself for taking the harder path.”

“I could have frequently chosen a more convenient exit route. I chose to attend Cambridge to earn a degree in order to reflect on and be proud of it, as well as to demonstrate to other young athletes and young girls that you don’t have to give up your education.

After living up to the promise she made as a record-breaking junior, Hunt embraced friends and family.

In the process, she broke Asher-Smith’s British under-20 record, breaking her fellow-briton’s world record for the same year in Doha.

Hunt was named one of the “faces to define the decade” by Vogue magazine a year later.

However, she would go a total of six years before achieving a personal best again after suffering a quadriplegic rupture in early 2022, which she did in the London Diamond League over 200m in July.

Hunt showed she is ready to advance in her career by finishing in front of Jackson, who is a two-time defending champion on the biggest stage.

Jefferson-Wooden became the first woman to win both the 100 and 200 meters at a world championships since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013 with a time of 22.14 seconds.

As Hunt continued to rise, Hunt completed her season-long personal bests in the 60, 100, and 200 meters under the direction of Italian coach Marco Airale.

Hunt was delighted to record a respectable personal best of 7.09 over 60m during the indoor season, a strong start to a year that has only improved.

Hunt was joint-sixth after the first 100 meters, which was unusually slow off the blocks.

However, after that, she made up the 0.17 seconds deficit with a blistering finish to surpass Jackson, 31.

Four-time world champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill reported to BBC TV that “her form this year has gone from strength to strength.”

The most impressive aspect of Amy is her pick-up in the final stretch of the race, in my opinion. She was torn down those final 30 meters, preventing anyone from getting away from her.

Hunt also placed fourth overall in the British record for the all-time 100-meter race and placed third in the nation’s 200-meter standings when Asher-Smith came in second place in a stunning photo at the UK Championships this year.

She surpassed Kathy Cook as the second-fastest British woman over 200m with a new best of 22.08, making her place in the world final even faster.

Before the final, where she seized her moment, that performance strengthened her belief.

“I just defeated some amazing girls, and I can’t believe it,” Hunt said.

“I’m demonstrating that you can do anything,” You can be the best at anything, no matter what you set your mind to.