Keely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for European silver as Switzerland’s Audrey Werro denied the Briton a third consecutive title in a thrilling women’s 800m final in Birmingham. The most eagerly anticipated event of the championships culminated in the expected three-way battle for supremacy between Hodgkinson, 22-year-old Werro, and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in front of a captivated sellout crowd of 23,000 inside Alexander Stadium.
Seeking to reassert her dominance in the event, Olympic champion Hodgkinson was roared on in pursuit of Werro by her home support but was unable to overhaul her new rival in the closing stages. Having this season become the fastest athlete since the world record was set 43 years ago, Werro finished strong to land her first senior international title in a championship record of one minute 54.81 seconds, while Hodgkinson finished in 1:55.01.
Reflecting on the result, Hodgkinson told the she had “mixed emotions” regarding the outcome. “I think with that level of competition, any medal is a really good achievement and another one to add to my collection, so I can never be disappointed with that. But I’m defending champion, so I wanted to do that,” she explained. “I knew it was going to come down to the wire but I really thought I was going to win today. It wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t do anything wrong – it was just one of those things.”
While not the gold she hoped for, the silver medal represents the 24-year-old’s 12th senior international medal since she claimed her first as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago. Hodgkinson allowed Werro to take charge on the opening lap before attempting to make her move on the final bend—just as the Swiss had done to her when she prevailed in Stockholm in June—but her rival would not relent.
The race followed a dramatic semi-final for Werro, who suffered a nasty fall on Thursday. Replays showed the left hand of France’s Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro’s right foot. Despite clutching her chest in pain as she jogged across the line, she was reinstated into the final. That drama led to a congested 10-athlete final, though despite the best efforts of Briton Jemma Reekie, there only ever appeared to be three true contenders for the gold.
Hodgkinson had twice beaten Werro during the indoor season, including to win her first world title, but was stunned when the European under-23 champion surged past her at the Stockholm Diamond League this summer. That performance produced the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983. Hodgkinson, who achieved the first major outdoor title of her career at the 2022 European Championships before retaining it in Rome two years ago, had vowed not to allow that to happen again.
However, Werro successfully crashed the bid to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the same event. Her victory proves she will be a force to be reckoned with on the world’s biggest stages for years to come. Hodgkinson can also expect Broeders-Bol, who took bronze in 1:55.54, to only improve with World Championship gold up for grabs next year, following the rapid progress made by the two-time world 400m hurdles champion since switching events.
The silver medal, which came 20 minutes after Zharnel Hughes won silver in the men’s 200m, was the British team’s 10th medal in five days. Despite this success, the host nation has conceded the top spot in the medal table to Italy, who now hold five golds to the British team’s four.
As the dust settles on the Birmingham final, the rivalry between Hodgkinson and Werro appears set to define the middle-distance landscape. With the World Championships approaching, both athletes are already looking toward their next encounter, with Hodgkinson remaining motivated to reclaim her standing at the top of the podium.
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