{"id":227038,"date":"2026-02-05T16:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/olympic-champion-backs-amy-hunt-to-continue-her-momentum-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:50:08","slug":"olympic-champion-backs-amy-hunt-to-continue-her-momentum-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/olympic-champion-backs-amy-hunt-to-continue-her-momentum-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic champion backs Amy Hunt to continue her momentum in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_6bc9da\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Mark Lewis-Francis believes Amy Hunt and Jeremiah Azu will shine at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham<\/h2>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"35984313\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Amy Hunt dubbed herself a 'track goddess'\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Amy Hunt dubbed herself a &#8216;track goddess&#8217;<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Olympic champion Mark Lewis-Francis is backing British sprinters Amy Hunt and Jeremiah Azu to shine on home soil at <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Birmingham<\/a> 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Having claimed 200m silver at the World Athletics Championships last year, Hunt clocked her fastest ever season opener in the 60m with 7.17s to open her 2026 account.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Azu also enjoyed a stellar 2025 with <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">world<\/a> and European golds indoors and the pair appear to be hitting form at the perfect time with a home championships looming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Birmingham 2026 marks the first time the European Athletics Championships has been hosted by a British city and Lewis-Francis is expecting fireworks in his hometown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cAmy Hunt is an inspiration to the sport. There are so many young girls waiting to see her compete. She\u2019s going to do amazingly,\u201d said Lewis-Francis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cThe same with Jeremiah Azu. He will definitely shine at the European Championships. He\u2019s an amazing athlete and an amazing guy. He left his original coach to go to Italy, came back to Wales and won gold at the European and World Indoor Championships in 2025. So, it\u2019s super exciting times for sprinting.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36674340\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36674340\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mark Lewis-Francis is a two-time European medallist\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674340.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_NS2_2732_A0HEOeIE_20260204021242.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674340.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_NS2_2732_A0HEOeIE_20260204021242.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674340.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_NS2_2732_A0HEOeIE_20260204021242.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674340.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_NS2_2732_A0HEOeIE_20260204021242.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mark Lewis-Francis is a two-time European medallist\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mark Lewis-Francis is a two-time European medallist<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Lewis-Francis knows better than most what it takes to medal at a European Championships, having won 4x100m gold in 2006 and an individual silver in 2010. The \u2018Darlaston Dart\u2019 made history when he anchored <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/team-gb\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Team GB<\/a> \u2019s gold medal-winning 4x100m team at Athens 2004.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But the 43-year-old still hails his European silver as one of the highlights of his sprinting career, earning the championships a special place in his heart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cBarcelona in 2010 was a personal one for me. I was definitely the underdog,\u201d recalled Lewis-Francis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cI had just come back from an Achilles injury, and I moved over to Linford Christie\u2019s training group. Going to that European Championships where my coach won his first Olympic gold, the pressure was on for me to get a medal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIf you know Linford, he\u2019s got banter, so I would never have been able to live it down if I didn\u2019t get a medal. That was one of the highest highlights of my career. It was the last big race of my career too, so it meant a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Now, Lewis-Francis is inspiring the next generation of sprinters by visiting schools around the Alexander Stadium, where the championships will take place in <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/perry-barr\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Perry Barr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">With the stadium home to Lewis-Francis\u2019 home club, Birchfield Harriers, the pupils at schools such as Ferndale Primary School in Great Barr, where he was speaking at the launch of the Birmingham 2026 group ticket offer, now have visible role models to look up to with the championships on their doorstep.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36674311\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36674311\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mark Lewis-Francis during a media event to mark the launch of the availability of Group Tickets for the 2026 European Athletics Championships at Ferndale Primary School\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674311.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_NS2_3655_xrAYB2R6_20260204020421.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674311.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_NS2_3655_xrAYB2R6_20260204020421.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674311.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_NS2_3655_xrAYB2R6_20260204020421.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36674311.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_NS2_3655_xrAYB2R6_20260204020421.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Mark Lewis-Francis during a media event to mark the launch of the availability of Group Tickets for the 2026 European Athletics Championships at Ferndale Primary School on February 04, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk - British Athletics\/British Athletics via Getty Images)\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND &#8211; FEBRUARY 04: Mark Lewis-Francis during a media event to mark the launch of the availability of Group Tickets for the 2026 European Athletics Championships at Ferndale Primary School on February 04, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk &#8211; British Athletics\/British Athletics via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s exciting times for Birmingham,\u201d he said. \u201cTo come into the schools and get the locals involved see the faces of the kids who are excited that a European Championships is coming to Birmingham is amazing for me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cBeing able to see the kids that may not know who I am watch a video of me competing, it just puts a massive smile on my face. Coming back and inspiring the next generation and getting them involved in athletics is very rewarding. It shows that the legacy continues and everything that I achieved, I can pass on to the next generation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cSeeing is believing. If you see somebody that you&#8217;ve seen on TV in real life and you watch them in real life compete, it makes you believe that you can do it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em>The European Athletics Championships will be coming to Birmingham\u2019s Alexander Stadium from 10-16 August 2026. Interested parties can sign up for a Ticket alert at <u>go.birmingham26.com\/groups-sign-up<\/u> . To book and find out more, visit <\/em><\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em><u><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/tickets.birmingham26.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">tickets.birmingham26.com<\/a> <\/u><\/em><\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/she-inspiration-olympic-champion-backs-36674416\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mark Lewis-Francis believes Amy Hunt and Jeremiah Azu will shine at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham Amy Hunt dubbed herself a &#8216;track goddess&#8217;(Image: Getty Images) Olympic champion Mark Lewis-Francis is backing British sprinters Amy Hunt and Jeremiah Azu to shine on home soil at Birmingham 2026. Having claimed 200m silver at the World Athletics [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":227039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6802],"tags":[69575,69576,9604,57903,69578,12795,57828,69574,69577,51136],"class_list":{"0":"post-227038","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athetics","8":"tag-athens-olympics-2004","9":"tag-birmingham-city-fc","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-european-athletics-championships","12":"tag-fireworks","13":"tag-gold-medal","14":"tag-iaaf-world-championships","15":"tag-mark-lewis-francis","16":"tag-schools","17":"tag-team-gb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}