Werro defeats Hodgkinson in Birmingham to win European 800m gold
Audrey Werro beat Keely Hodgkinson in the women's 800m final at the European Championships in Birmingham on Friday, leaving the British runner with silver.
Hodgkinson, 24, had previously taken silver at three consecutive global championships before winning Olympic gold in Paris, and her European reign was ended by 22-year-old Swiss athlete Werro in Birmingham. The result introduced fresh rivals such as Werro and Dutch runner Femke Broeders-Bol into the immediate picture, alongside established names mentioned in coverage including world 800m champion Lilian Odira and Hodgkinson's training partner Georgia Hunter Bell; next season's World Championships in Beijing precede the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Werro recovered from a heavy fall in her semi-final and subsequent reinstatement to hold off Hodgkinson in the final, claiming her first senior international title and breaking a championship record that had stood since 1982. "I knew I could be European champion one day. I hope to be faster and faster next year," Werro said, adding a childhood memory: "When I was a child, my dad used to tell me I have to be a lion. I shouldn't be shy and let other athletes go past me, so I decided to do a celebration with that when I crossed the line." Former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe commented on BBC TV: "Audrey Werro is still young and that was a huge amount of pressure, even without the fall and the bruising. She pulled it together and took the race by the scruff of the neck, which I think Keely did intend for her to do - but she thought she could come back at her. Werro just had another gear."
Hodgkinson's season has contrasted with an outstanding indoor campaign: after overcoming two hamstring tears to make the world podium in Tokyo last September, the six-time global medallist broke the 24-year indoor world 800m record and won a first world title in March. Her outdoor preparations included a training block to develop 400m speed followed by 800m-specific work, and she produced a British record at the Stockholm Diamond League in June while being beaten only by the fastest time recorded in 43 years.
Injuries interrupted her buildup: a muscle "twinge" forced a tearful withdrawal from the 400m final at the British Championships, and she raced with knees heavily bandaged after a nasty training fall as she finished behind world champion Lilian Odira in Eugene. Hodgkinson then won the London Diamond League, holding off Broeders-Bol in front of 60,000 home fans, and skipped the Commonwealth Games to prioritise her European title defence following a Portugal training camp.
Hodgkinson had beaten Werro twice during her indoor campaign, including to claim the world title in March, but Werro reduced her personal best by almost two seconds in Stockholm and then ran 1:53.80 in Paris. Those two sub-1:54 performances, three weeks apart, were the only sub-1:54 times since Jarmila Kratochvilova's 1:53.28; Werro's best is now more than half a second quicker than Hodgkinson's 1:54.33, while Broeders-Bol ran 1:55.54 to take bronze in Birmingham.
Despite her disappointment Hodgkinson retained perspective on the race, saying: "Obviously I would have rather walked away with the gold, but I don't think I have done anything wrong. It was a great race to be part of, a great race for the crowd to watch. Great that all three of us could line up together. I'm really proud of the battle I gave. I look forward to the next match-up." The meeting in Birmingham adds a new chapter to their rivalry ahead of next season's World Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.