British sprinter Amy Hunt has stormed into the spotlight at the European championships.
The 24-year-old Hunt won the 100-meter final and hopes it's not her only gold at the meet. She’s also competing in the 200 and is in contention to be in two relay teams.
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Hunt will line up in the final of the 200 on Thursday night at Alexander Stadium alongside rivals including teammate Dina Asher-Smith.
The ever-affable Hunt likes to quote a “High School Musical” character when she says “I want it all” on the track. But the University of Cambridge alum can get more serious, too, like when she recently discussed the legacy of colonialism associated with the Commonwealth Games.
Here's what to know about her career:
Medals include silver in 200 at world championships
Hunt was the surprise silver medalist in the 200 at the world championships last September in Tokyo, where she ran 22.14 seconds in the final — U.S. sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden was the winner.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Hunt ran the third leg on the British women’s 4x100 relay team that won silver.
In the youth ranks, Hunt set an under-18 women's world best in the 200 when she ran a 22.42 in June 2019 in Mannheim, Germany.
Hunt juggled academics — studying English Literature — while training and overcame a leg injury to reach world-class levels. After her silver medal in Tokyo last year, she told the BBC she's glad she stayed in school: “You can be an academic badass and a track goddess.”
Hunt quotes ‘High School Musical’ character
When describing her goals, Hunt cites a “High School Musical” character Sharpay Evans and the song called “I Want it All.”
Hunt mentioned it in the pre-championships news conference and again after winning gold in the 100 on Monday night.
“That performance is one step closer to being like Sharpay Evans,” she said after the victory. “I really want to win it all and I’m so happy now I’ve got one out of four done. Hopefully I can take this momentum and the good vibes into the rest of the week.”
Hunt's issue with the Commonwealth Games
Hunt gives fans a behind-the-scenes view of her life as an athlete with video updates on her YouTube page. Her “vlog” touches on everything from meals to sightseeing to anti-doping tests.
The sprinter's most recent video was a review of her time at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she won a silver medal in the 100.
Hunt takes a few minutes in the video to discuss the history of the games, saying she doesn't “ethically or morally agree with the kind of notion of a Commonwealth Games.” The games, she added, “used to celebrate a colonial empire.”
“I think the Commonwealth Games provides the opportunity for us to reflect on ourselves and our history with colonialism, also the fact that England as we know it was rebuilt post-war by the Windrush generation, by immigrants,” Hunt said.
Athletes discuss this privately, she said, but that's where it stays.
“I think a lot of people are afraid to speak about it openly. I think as a white athlete, it’s important for me to speak about my thoughts on it. ... I just kind of wish there was more dialogue and more conversation about that.”
She concludes: “You’re more than free to disagree with it and you’re more than free to think that if I have these views it’s hypocritical for me to compete.”
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