Hodgkinson takes European silver as Werro triumphs in Birmingham 800m
Keely Hodgkinson had to settle for silver in the European 800m final as Switzerland's Audrey Werro claimed gold with a championship record in Birmingham.
The women's 800m final at the European Championships in Birmingham delivered the expected three-way showdown between Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, Swiss 22-year-old Audrey Werro and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol, played out before a sell-out crowd of 23,000 at Alexander Stadium.
Werro emerged victorious with a championship record of 1 minute 54.81 seconds, earning her first major international title. This season she has become the fastest athlete in the event since the world record was set 43 years ago, and she finished strongly to hold off Hodgkinson's late charge.
Hodgkinson, spurred on by the home crowd, settled for silver in 1:55.01. For the 24-year-old, it was her 12th senior international medal since her first as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago. The Briton had allowed Werro to control the opening lap before attempting to make her move on the final bend – a tactic Werro had used against her when winning in Stockholm in June – but the Swiss runner would not yield.
The silver was the British team's 10th medal in five days at their home championships. Earlier, Zharnel Hughes had taken silver in the men's 200m, leading around the bend only to be overtaken by Germany's Owen Ansah, who claimed victory in 19.95 seconds. Hughes, the 2023 world 100m bronze medallist, could not match Ansah's fast finish.
