Only three years ago, Hudson-Smith was broken.

Physically, mentally, financially.

Injuries had led him to accrue substantial debt due to medical costs and a loss of sponsors, before ending his hopes of competing in Tokyo.

Those events coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and Hudson-Smith struggled with his mental health, enduring three years of “absolute hell” as he remained isolated from his family in the United States.

Having put his darkest days behind him, Hudson-Smith said his world bronze in 2022 was “just the beginning”.

He was not wrong.

Despite struggling with Achilles tendonitis throughout the 2023 season, Hudson-Smith upgraded that medal with a stunning, gutsy run behind Jamaica’s Antonio Watson at the Worlds in Budapest.

Despite his disrupted preparations, Hudson-Smith was far from satisfied – and the signs had been extremely positive in 2024 as he built towards his target.

He set a new European record of 44.07 in Oslo in May and improved that to 43.74 at the London Diamond League, just six days before the Paris opening ceremony.

He ran faster still in pursuit of Olympic glory on Wednesday night, but it was still not enough to hold off the impressive fast-finishing Hall, who won bronze behind Hudson-Smith last year.