Roger Alton
Britain’s latest Charioteer of Fire has no need for grandad vests or a Vangelis earworm, just a smile as dazzling as her nail varnish, the longest legs in Christendom, a remorseless will to win… oh, and four gold medals. Make no mistake, Amy Hunt – who, along with an extraordinarily talented and determined GB team, dominated the European Athletics championships last week – could and should be the saviour of British athletics. You could not ask for a better role model: she even speaks fluent Italian and, like many Cambridge graduates, was very keen to take over in the group interviews she did after her races. If Andy Burnham had any sense he would enlist her for some ambassadorial gig.
When she is not training, Success Eduan is learning to be a midwife
Sprinting is the ultimate glamour event but you hope Hunt doesn’t just become a modern Kathy Smallwood, the great sprinter of the 1980s who was unbeatable in Europe but ended up with the more minor medals at world events. Hunt’s winning time in Birmingham of 11.0 seconds would have placed her equal seventh in the final of the Paris Olympics; her winning time at the Commonwealth Games of 10.98 would have given her a sixth place in Paris. So there is a bit to go but if anyone can do it, it’s Amy.
