Martyn Rooney of Great Britain is new the 400m champion from this year’s European Athletics Championships in Zurich, after leading a British 1-2 ahead of Matthew Hudson-Smith for his 1st major international title.
Rooney created a lot of buzz in Britain in 2006 with a remarkable debut at the Commonwealth Games that year, setting a new British junior record in the 400m, but had not been able to capitalize on his potential for a major international win, until this year. After a disappointing pair of fourth-place relay placements in the last two Olympics and a fourth-place in the individual Commonwealth 400m this year, Rooney passed on the relay this year to concentrate on a European title. That focus obviously paid off with the fastest time in Europe so far in 2014, and that first prominent gold. And, he re-established himself as the top 400m man on the team, overcoming the much-hyped Hudson-Smith, who has claimed Rooney as his idol in the sport.
Rooney created a lot of buzz in Britain in 2006 with a remarkable debut at the Commonwealth Games that year, setting a new British junior record in the 400m, but had not been able to capitalize on his potential for a major international win, until this year. After a disappointing pair of fourth-place relay placements in the last two Olympics and a fourth-place in the individual Commonwealth 400m this year, Rooney passed on the relay this year to concentrate on a European title. That focus obviously paid off with the fastest time in Europe so far in 2014, and that first prominent gold. And, he re-established himself as the top 400m man on the team, overcoming the much-hyped Hudson-Smith, who has claimed Rooney as his idol in the sport.
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