GB medal hopes dented as Hudson-Smith exits 400m

Great Britain's medal hopes suffered another blow at the World Athletics Championships as Matthew Hudson-Smith missed out on the men's 400m final.

The British team were set a target of a top-eight finish in the medal table in Tokyo but they remain without a medal four days into the nine-day competition.

Olympic and world silver medallist Hudson-Smith would have held ambitions of a gold medal after missing out on the past two global titles by a combined 0.13 seconds.

But, having complained of a hip issue following his heat on Sunday, the 30-year-old could only manage sixth in his semi-final - with a top-two finish required to guarantee progress.

"There's no excuses. You've got to do what you've got to do," Hudson-Smith told BBC Sport.

"It's a race, I executed to the best of my ability, and that's all that matters. I'm going to take some time out and re-evaluate."

Charlie Dobson, the second-fastest British 400m runner in history after Hudson-Smith, and team-mate Sam Reardon also missed out.

It comes after 2024 world indoor pole vault champion Molly Caudery suffered an injury while warming up before her qualification event, while Emile Cairess - fourth at last year's Paris Olympics - could not complete the men's marathon.

Elsewhere, 2023 world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes and world indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu were unable to reach the men's 100m final.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland equalled their best haul of 10 medals to finish seventh at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, bringing home two gold medals, three silvers and five bronze.

They also achieved GB's best return at an Olympics for 40 years with 10 athletics medals at Paris 2024.

The team had a gold, silver and bronze after four days in Budapest two years ago, although the daily schedule - and timing of medal prospects - is different this time round.

And, while 31 other countries have already won a medal, there will be belief that they can produce a strong finish to these championships.

Amber Anning, Max Burgin and Ben Pattison were among the athletes to maintain their medal pursuits on Tuesday night.

World indoor champion Anning qualified for Thursday's women's 400m final after crossing the line behind hurdles star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who further asserted herself as the gold-medal favourite by clocking the seventh-fastest time in history.

Burgin, whose improved personal best of one minute 42.36 seconds ranks fourth-fastest this year, controlled his men's 800m heat to win in 1:44.73.

Pattison, a surprise bronze medallist in that event two years ago, showed he is finding form late in an injury-disrupted year in joining Burgin in Thursday's semi-finals.

On Wednesday, defending world champion Josh Kerr, 2022 gold medallist Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley will contest the men's 1500m final.

That wide-open medal race is missing the United States' Olympic champion Cole Hocker and bronze medallist Yared Nuguse, former Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and 2025 world-leader Azeddine Habz.

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell will hope to achieve two medals in the women's 800m, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson is the defending heptathlon champion.

Hughes will return for the men's 200m, as will Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt in the women's event.

George Mills broke Mo Farah's British 5,000m record earlier this year and watched two-time defending champion Ingebrigtsen fail to get out of his 1500m heat, while high jumper Morgan Lake cleared the significant two-metre mark last month.

Five of Great Britain's 10 medals at last year's Games were achieved by the relay teams and there are still four to come in Tokyo, with the 4x100m and 4x400m events taking place in the final session on Sunday.