Keely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for silver at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, as Swiss runner Audrey Werro prevented the Briton from securing a third consecutive title. The highly anticipated 800m final featured a tense showdown between Hodgkinson, the 22-year-old Werro, and Dutch athlete Femke Broeders-Bol, playing out before a sellout crowd of 23,000 at Alexander Stadium.
Werro, who has emerged as the fastest athlete in the event since the world record was established 43 years ago, maintained her momentum to clinch her first major international victory. She finished with a championship record time of 1:54.81. Despite the roar of the home crowd, Olympic champion Hodgkinson could not close the gap on her rival during the final stretch, finishing in 1:55.01.
Although the result was not the gold she sought, the 24-year-old Hodgkinson’s silver marked her 12th senior international medal since her debut as a teenager five years ago. This achievement also represents her fifth European medal across both indoor and outdoor competitions. The race followed a tactical pattern similar to their meeting in Stockholm this past June, where Werro also successfully held off the Briton’s late charge on the final bend.
The silver medal served as the 10th podium finish for the British team over the first five days of the home championships. Earlier in the day, Zharnel Hughes added to the tally with a silver in the men’s 200m. Hughes, a 2023 world 100m bronze medallist, held the lead coming off the bend but was ultimately overtaken by Germany’s Owen Ansah, who secured the win with a time of 19.95 seconds.
The most eagerly anticipated event of the championships culminated in the expected three-way battle for supremacy between Hodgkinson, Swiss 22-year-old Werro and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in front of a captivated sel
