Why did Matthew Hudson-Smith hold both Great Britain and Jamaican flags at Paris Olympics? All about silver medalist's allegiance to Carribbean nation

By Marie Amani

Modified Aug 08, 2024 15:55 GMT

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Matthew Hudson-Smith held the flags of Jamaica and Great Britain to honor his grandmothers who hail from the former. The 29-year-old won silver in the 400m event while representing Great Britain.

Hudson-Smith was impressive in the men’s 400m final at the Paris Olympics, clocking a stunning 44.34 to cross the finish line second. Quincy Hall stole the show with the win as he clocked 43.40 with Muzala Samukonga completing the podium in 43.74.

Starting his Olympic campaign, Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed the win in the men’s 400m first round, clocking an impressive 44.78 to cross the finish. He went ahead to claim top honors in the semifinal with his time of 44.07 seconds.

As he did his lap of honor, Hudson-Smith carried the Jamaican and Great Britain flags, leaving fans wondering about the reason behind the move. In a post shared on X, Matthew Hudson-Smith pointed out that carrying the Carribbean nation's flag was a sign of expressing his love for his Jamaican grandmothers since he had not spent time with them for a while.

"Matthew Hudson-Smith on the significance of holding the British AND Jamaican flag during his lap of honour after the 400m Final: "I haven’t seen both my Jamaican Grandmothers in a while so I held the Jamaican flag as an “I love you” to them.""

Watching the sprinter at the Stade de France were his mother and father and as he was doing the lap around the stadium, taking selfies and signing autographs, he stopped to embrace his parents.

Matthew Hudson-Smith speaks on his rivalry with Quincy Hall following Paris Olympics

Matthew Hudson-Smith speaks on his rivalry with Quincy Hall following Paris Olympics upset- Source: Getty

Matthew Hudson-Smith had been pipped to win in the men’s 400m final but Quincy Hall came from the back and claimed the win.

Hall crossed the finish line first ahead of Hudson-Smith with Jamaica’s Anthony Watson rounding up the podium. As quoted by PA News Agency, Hudson-Smith now anticipates several match-ups against the American.

"Hall took that one step and that was the difference between 43.40 and 43.44. But it’s sport man, there’s heartache, there’s agony, but at the end of the day there’s always going to be one winner and he’s a great competitor," Hudson-Smith said.

"On that day, he was a better man, but like I’ve been saying my time is going to come and I’m going to get my get back and there’s going to be many, many races and many battles between me and Quincy," he added.

Hudson-Smith’s impeccable performance on the Olympic stage comes after he had to overcome a series of injuries and personal challenges in the past three years. He bounced back this season and is currently an Olympic medalist.