At almost six feet tall, Amy Hunt has always known she wouldn't win races in the first few meters. "I know I am so good in Championship scenarios," she said. "I knew if I was with the girls at 30-40 meters I was going to be absolutely fine." And that's exactly how it played out at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Friday.
The 24-year-old from Great Britain crossed the finish line in 11.00 seconds to claim gold in the 100 meters at the European Athletics Championships, becoming the first British athlete to win gold at these games. It was her first senior international title and it came on home soil.
What made the victory especially sweet was the story behind it. Hunt had been collecting silver medals like some people collect stamps. Two weeks ago, she took silver at the Commonwealth Games. Last year, she won silver in the 200 meters at the World Championships in Tokyo, which was the first individual medal of her senior career. Her parents apparently noticed the pattern. They gifted her gold earrings the night before the race with a note that read simply: "It was time for gold."
"It feels so sweet," Hunt told BBC Sport. "I have had such a string of silvers and I was starting to get a bit fed up with it, so I thought it was time for gold. It was definitely time for me to come of age here and win the gold."
In the final, Hunt started slowly as expected, sitting seventh in the eight-woman field after the first 10 meters. But she found another gear in the second half of the race, pulling from fifth place all the way to first. She raised her arms in celebration, gold earrings catching the stadium lights. Poland's Ewa Swoboda finished second in 11.02 seconds and Belgium's Delphine Nkansa took third in 11.06.
Dina Asher-Smith, Britain's defending champion, finished fifth in 11.10 seconds. She had been hoping to win her seventh European Championship gold, which would have tied her with two other athletes for the most successful in the event's history.
Great Britain also earned silver in the mixed 4x400 meter relay on the same day. The team of Yemi Mary John, Ben Jefferies, Charlotte Henrich, and Toby Harries finished in 3 minutes 10.47 seconds, just behind Norway's winning time of 3:09.62.
Hunt won't be stopping there. She has three more events coming up this week: the 200 meters and both the women's and mixed 4x100 meter relays. With her confidence soaring after breaking the 11-second barrier for the first time this season, she's ready to keep adding to her collection.