Hudson-Smith eliminated as Britain's medal hopes suffer at World Championships

Matthew Hudson-Smith's bid for a 400 metres medal ended in the semi-finals on Tuesday as Great Britain remained without a podium finish four days into the nine-day World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The 30-year-old, an Olympic and world silver medallist who had been targeting gold after narrowly missing global titles in recent years, finished sixth in his semi-final, with a top-two placing required to guarantee progression. Hudson-Smith had reported a hip issue after his heat on Sunday and said afterwards: "There's no excuses. You've got to do what you've got to do. 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."

Hudson-Smith's exit marks another setback for the British team, who set a target of finishing in the top eight of the medal table in Tokyo but remain without a medal midway through the championships. Charlie Dobson, the second-fastest British 400m runner in history after Hudson-Smith, and Sam Reardon also failed to reach the final in the men's event.

The team has endured further misfortune elsewhere. Pole vaulter Molly Caudery, the 2024 world indoor champion, suffered an injury while warming up before qualification and did not compete. Marathon runner Emile Cairess, who finished fourth at last year's Paris Olympics, was unable to complete the men's marathon. Sprinters Zharnel Hughes and Jeremiah Azu, the 2023 world bronze medallist and world indoor 60m champion respectively, failed to reach the men's 100m final.

There were, however, positive results for other British athletes on Tuesday night. World indoor champion Amber Anning progressed to Thursday's women's 400m final after finishing behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who produced the seventh-fastest time in history. Max Burgin won his men's 800m heat in 1:44.73, having improved his personal best earlier in the year to 1:42.36, a mark that ranks fourth-fastest this season. Ben Pattison, who took a surprise bronze two years ago, also advanced and will contest the semi-finals.

On the schedule for the coming days are high-profile middle-distance opportunities for Britain. Defending world champion Josh Kerr, 2022 gold medallist Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley were due to contest the men's 1500m final on Wednesday in a race that will be missing several of the sport's recent leading names. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell remain contenders in the women's 800m, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson is the defending heptathlon champion.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland equalled their best haul of 10 medals at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, where they finished seventh with two golds, three silvers and five bronzes. The team also achieved an athletics best at the Paris 2024 Olympics with 10 medals. Five of the 10 medals in Budapest came from relay events, and Britain still has four relay finals to contest in Tokyo, including the 4x100m and 4x400m events scheduled in the final session on Sunday.

With 31 countries already on the medal table, Britain will be looking to salvage a strong finish in the remaining sessions. Team officials and athletes pointed to ongoing opportunities in the middle-distance races and relays as the championships progress, while Hudson-Smith indicated he would take time to assess his fitness and future plans after the semi-final exit.