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Werro wins in Birmingham
Audrey Werro held off Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to win the women’s 800 metres at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, a day after a heavy fall in the semi-finals.
“pulled away from Briton Hodgkinson over the final 150 metres to cruise through the finish line in one minute 54.81 seconds”
Werro, the 22-year-old Swiss runner, pulled away from Hodgkinson over the final 150 metres to finish in one minute 54.81 seconds, while Hodgkinson took second in 1:55.01 and Femke Broeders-Bol claimed bronze in 1:55.54.
The race ended with Werro’s time breaking the championship record, with The Guardian describing her as taking gold in 1min 54.81sec and “a time that broke a championship record that had stood since 1982.”
Werro’s path to the final had been shaped by the semi-final incident, when she was reinstated after a fall and was advanced to Friday’s final, with The Independent saying she was advanced after a shock result in her semi-final as she fell hard and finished last.
In the build-up to the final, Reuters said Werro was reinstated after it was determined that “France's Anais Bourgoin made contact with Werro's right foot before the fall,” setting up the showdown at Alexander Stadium.
Hodgkinson’s quotes
After finishing second, Keely Hodgkinson told the BBC, “A bit of mixed emotions,” and said, “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.”
The Guardian also quoted Hodgkinson reflecting on the race, saying, “I think I put together a pretty good race. I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
Werro’s victory came in a final that Reuters framed as a rematch setup for “next month's World Ultimate Athletics Championships in Budapest,” with the result setting the stage for another meeting between Werro and Hodgkinson.
The Independent described the semi-final that preceded the final, saying Werro appeared to have her right foot accidentally clipped by Bourgoin’s left hand on the final bend and hit the deck hard.
In that same semi-final context, The Independent quoted Werro saying, “I was feeling really great until the last metre, unfortunately, I don’t know, something happened and I was on the ground. I hope I will be qualified for the final.”
What’s next for rivals
Reuters said the European 800m result “sets the stage for a tantalising rematch at next month's World Ultimate Athletics Championships in Budapest,” turning Werro’s championship win into a lead-in for the next major meeting.
“sets the stage for a tantalising rematch at next month's World Ultimate Athletics Championships in Budapest”
Werro’s rise was also tied to her recent times, with Reuters noting she ran “the fastest time in 43 years” earlier this season and clocked 1:53.80 at the Paris Diamond League on June 28.
The Guardian added that Werro’s performance came after a “crazy 24 hours,” including the moment she appeared “out of these Championships after being tripped in the semi-finals,” before she returned to win the final.
Beyond the 800m, Reuters reported that Karsten Warholm won the men’s 400m hurdles in 46.63 to break his own championship record, and Gianmarco Tamberi cleared 2.32 metres to win his fourth European high jump gold medal.
In the same Birmingham programme, The Guardian said the night also included Nadia Battocletti winning the European 10,000m title with a “28-second burst over the last 200m,” and it described how European Athletics Championship racing continued to produce new moments across multiple events.
