From Silver Linings to Golden Ambitions: Amy Hunt’s Track Ascent
Life for British sprinter Amy Hunt has taken a dramatic turn in recent months. From the roar of the crowd and the thrill of a world silver medal in Tokyo last September, her world has expanded to include driving McLaren F1 simulators, gracing red carpets at film premieres, and even staying in a luxury hotel suite once graced by the legendary Amy Winehouse. Yet, at just 23, the burgeoning star is steadfastly keeping her focus firmly on the track, a testament to her unwavering dedication.
Despite a flurry of tempting opportunities – from attending the premiere of the hit show Peaky Blinders to gracing London Fashion Week – Hunt has resolutely prioritised her training. She explains her approach with a refreshing honesty, stating that she doesn’t regret turning down these high-profile events. “This is my job and this is what I truly love to do, and I am so in love with the life that I created,” she asserts. “I’m so focused on upgrading that silver into a gold that it doesn’t really feel like a sacrifice.”
Many might recall Amy Hunt’s explosive arrival on the athletics scene seven years ago. She shattered the under-18 world record in the 200m, instantly marking her as a prodigious talent destined for stardom. However, her early senior career was cruelly derailed by a series of debilitating injuries, including a severe quadriceps rupture that made even simple tasks like showering a challenge. The subsequent years were a gruelling mental and physical battle, but Hunt has emerged stronger, rebuilding her fitness and reasserting her dominance on the international stage. Her victory over two-time defending champion Shericka Jackson in Tokyo was a clear statement of intent, and she’s far from finished.
Beyond her athletic prowess, Hunt possesses a naturally bubbly, good-natured, and thoughtful personality. This confidence extends beyond the track; she’s equally at ease in front of a camera. Following the world championships, she launched her own YouTube channel, where she films all her own content, with her best friend Sally handling the editing. This venture showcases her engaging personality and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her life.
This week, Hunt returns to competitive action at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, competing in the 60m. She readily admits to having a “love-hate relationship” with this sprint distance, ranking it her least favourite of the three. However, a complete overhaul of her block start this year, resulting in an impressive 7.04-second performance, has transformed their dynamic. “They are now ‘happily married’,” she quips.
Having accurately predicted a medal win in Tokyo, Hunt is hopeful her predictive powers will serve her well in Poland. Her aim is to match or surpass her fifth-place finish from the previous year. The competition will be fierce, with Olympic 200m champion Julien Alfred, US national championships winner Jacious Sears, and compatriot Dina Asher-Smith also in contention.
“It’s cool to be going into something actually ranked in the top five for once, so I don’t sound as crazy when I’m saying I’m gonna do well,” she reflects. “I really love being such a versatile sprinter. All of the sprinting greats, Usain [Bolt], Allyson [Felix], Dafne [Schippers], Tori Bowie, everyone who is truly the best at these events, do all of them. They’re not afraid to put themselves in positions where they’re maybe not the favourite to win, so I think for me doing the 60 is more just being entirely fearless and entirely confident in myself.”
Looking ahead, a triple gold medal haul at the European Championships in Birmingham this summer is a significant objective. Equally important is narrowing the gap to elite sprinters like Alfred and the current world 100m and 200m champion, Melissa Jefferson Wooden. Hunt envisions herself racing against these formidable athletes during intense training sessions.
“I think it’s so good to have rivalries,” Hunt states passionately. “It’s just maybe the polite thing not to say it out loud, but sport is emotional, and if I’m not emotional about not winning, then why am I there?” She elaborates on the mindset required for elite competition: “It’s not even delusional, because you can’t think it’s delusional, you have to fully, wholeheartedly, with your whole body and soul and mind, believe that you are the best and you’re going to beat everyone. So everyone becomes your rival. But in terms of this year, I’m looking to get a lot closer and to start hopefully beating Melissa and Julien. I respect them a lot, therefore I want to beat them a lot.”
A long-term ambition includes a move up to the 400m, a plan that has been slightly delayed by her recent successes. A recent 368-meter time trial in South Africa, completed in an impressive 45 seconds, left her “incredibly happy.” However, she playfully dismisses the idea of a 400m race against 800m star Keely Hodgkinson in the immediate future, admitting, “I think she might win right now, but maybe not next year.” As for the 300m, her answer is a decisive “I’d absolutely have that, yeah,” accompanied by a grin.
Having successfully juggled the demands of elite athletics with her English degree from Cambridge, Hunt is a passionate advocate for aspiring young athletes pursuing higher education alongside their sporting dreams. She frequently receives messages from students aiming for Oxbridge and acts as a supportive mentor.
She harbours aspirations to formalise this support system, perhaps along the lines of rapper Stormzy’s Merky scholarships. “That world of Oxbridge loves to be so shrouded in mystery,” she explains, “and that’s self-serving, because it keeps that sense of [being] like, cloistered away and it protects itself. But us talking about it opens up a lot more and enables a lot more women and girls from an athletic background to be able to get there. I know my decisions felt very limited when I was in the same position, so I’m trying to make more doors open for more people coming up behind me.”
Hunt deliberately rejected the “easy way” of studying English or sports science at Loughborough University, a common choice for top athletes, opting instead for Cambridge. The rigorous academic demands, combined with her athletic commitments, were undoubtedly challenging but ultimately forged a resilience within her. “You have to sort out a lot for yourself,” she notes, “because the supervisors are very uncompromising and the system is very inflexible to your needs if you’re not a rower. You have to make those decisions yourself and grow up very quickly and be very, very organised.”
Her candour is disarming. While her agents might not relish her proclaiming, “I cannot overstate how much I love just standing on that start line, it’s my favourite thing in the world, so I would do it without even getting paid,” it underscores her genuine passion. Hunt is determined to carve her own path, challenging the notion that athletes must “stick to sport.” She champions the idea of a balanced life, excelling not only on the track but also through her social media presence and off-track interests, unafraid to express her authentic self.
Like many in the public eye, Hunt has encountered her share of online abuse, including “very disturbing” sexual comments during her teenage breakthrough. However, she has developed a thick skin and now views online negativity with a different perspective. She believes a certain level of public scrutiny, even the unpleasant aspects, is a necessary evil for elevating track and field into the public consciousness.
“Now it’s just like, turn your phone off,” she advises. “I think athletes should be open to a little bit more hate. That sounds horrible, but I mean it in a way that if we want our sport to grow, if we look at all the other sports, football, tennis, F1 that are huge in public and cultural consciousness, they get a lot more hate and aggression than we do. And I think it’s a natural counterpart to all of the amazing comments that you might get. So it’s better for us almost to actually be getting more hate because it shows that there’s more eyes on our sport, in a weird way. And in the least cocky way possible, my opinion is the only one that matters. I don’t really care what someone online has to say about my start.”
Hunt’s ambition is undeniable, and she is vocal about her goals. Long tipped for the pinnacle of her sport, she is now more determined than ever to reach it. “I look at people like Allyson Felix who are great across the board and could do every single event and both relays, and in the most selfish, vain way, if you’re the person that’s at the LA Olympics and you’re winning medals in two individual events and two relays, and you’re going home with four Olympic medals, then that that makes you an icon for life and truly one of the greats, especially in terms of British athletics. So it’s definitely something we’re looking forward to, and I definitely have the strength to do it.” After a somewhat premature emergence at age 17, the new and improved Hunt 2.0 appears poised for lasting success.
