Athletics-Hudson-Smith hobbles through to 400m semis in Tokyo

World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Men's 400m Heats Round 1 - Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - September 14, 2025 Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith in action during the heats REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

TOKYO (Reuters) - Britain's world and Olympic 400 metres silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith scraped into the semi-finals at the world championships on Sunday but said he felt flat and struggled with a hip problem as he finished fourth in his heat.

Hudson-Smith, ranked fourth in the world this year and a strong medal hope, looked uncomfortable as soon as he left the blocks in the second heat.