Keely Hodgkinson secured a silver medal in the women’s 800m final in Birmingham, as Switzerland’s Audrey Werro claimed gold, preventing Hodgkinson from achieving a third consecutive title in the event. The race, held before a capacity crowd of 23,000 at Alexander Stadium, was one of the most anticipated events of the championships.
Werro, a 22-year-old Swiss athlete, finished with a championship record time of one minute 54.81 seconds, ahead of Hodgkinson’s 1:55.01. This season, Werro has emerged as a significant force, becoming the fastest athlete in the event since the world record was established 43 years ago. Her victory marks her first senior international title.
Hodgkinson’s Performance and Reaction
Despite the home crowd’s support for the Olympic champion, Hodgkinson was unable to overtake Werro in the final stages of the race. Hodgkinson expressed mixed emotions following her silver medal win. She acknowledged that any medal at this level of competition is a significant achievement and a valuable addition to her collection, stating she could not be disappointed.
However, as the defending champion, Hodgkinson had aimed for gold. She had anticipated a close finish and believed she would win. Reflecting on the outcome, she noted that she did not make any errors, describing it as simply one of those races where the result did not go her way.
The silver medal is the 24-year-old’s 12th senior international medal since she first medalled as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago. Hodgkinson allowed Werro to lead during the opening lap, attempting to make her move on the final bend, a tactic Werro had successfully employed against her in Stockholm in June. However, Werro maintained her lead.
Other British Medalists and Championship Highlights
Hodgkinson’s silver medal contributed to the British team’s total, which reached 10 medals in five days. This came approximately 20 minutes after Zharnel Hughes secured silver in the men’s 200m final. Despite these achievements, Italy has taken the lead in the medal table with five gold medals, surpassing the host nation’s four.
Hughes, who was the fastest European this year entering the championships, set his season’s best of 20.04 seconds when winning the British title in June at Alexander Stadium. In the 200m final, he led coming off the bend but was overtaken by Germany’s Owen Ansah, who won in 19.95 seconds. Hughes, a world 100m bronze medallist in 2023, finished with a time of 20.16 seconds.
Werro’s victory was particularly notable given she had suffered a fall in her semi-final on Thursday but was subsequently reinstated into the final. Replays indicated that France’s Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro’s foot. Despite this incident and experiencing pain, Werro recovered to compete in the final.
The women’s 800m final featured 10 athletes, with Jemma Reekie also representing Britain. While Hodgkinson had previously defeated Werro twice during the indoor season, including to win her first world title, Werro’s performance at the Stockholm Diamond League this summer, where she achieved the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983, demonstrated her growing strength.
Hodgkinson, who secured her first major outdoor title at the European Championships in 2022 and retained it in Rome two years ago, had aimed to prevent a repeat of the Stockholm result. However, Werro’s win ended Hodgkinson’s attempt to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the same event, signaling Werro’s potential as a significant competitor in future athletic events.
The competition also saw Femke Broeders-Bol finish third in the 800m with a time of 1:55.54. Broeders-Bol, a two-time world 400m hurdles champion, has made rapid progress since switching events this season, and is expected to continue to improve, with a World Championship gold available next year. In other events, British athletes Kimani Jack and Joel Clarke-Khan placed fourth and fifth respectively in the men’s high jump final, while Megan Keith finished eighth in the women’s 10,000m final. Katarina Johnson-Thompson concluded day one of the heptathlon in 16th position overall.
The 10,000m race saw Nadia Battocletti, the defending champion and winner of the 5000m gold, as the favourite. Poppy Tank, Megan Keith, and Izzy Fry represented Great Britain in the 26-woman race. During the race, Megan Keith led for a significant portion, pushing the pace, but ultimately finished eighth. Izzy Fry experienced a stumble but quickly recovered to rejoin the pack. The event saw Battocletti secure her second gold, completing the 5000m-10000m double.
Source: bbc.co.uk