Audrey Werro Holds Off Keely Hodgkinson to Win Women’s 800m Gold in Birmingham

01:00 01:35 01:14 52:05 26:50 J.Lau. Published on 13/08/2026 at 17:49 • Updated on 13/08/2026 at 18:52 The essentials We almost didn’t get to witness one of the most anticipated encounters of the 2026 European Athletics Championships, namely the dramatic clash between Keely Hodgkinson, Femke Broeders-Bol, and Audrey Werro in the 800m final, Friday in Birmingham. The reason? A terrible fall by Swiss athlete Audrey Werro during a semifinal she seemed to control on Thursday. The third-best all-time world performer in the distance since June (1:53.80), the 22-year-old athlete was near the final straight when she was unintentionally unbalanced by the main challenger, Frenchwoman Anaïs Bourgoin. Audrey Werro then collapsed on the track, taking down Lithuanian Gabija Galvydyte in the process. Although she got up to finish the race, she ended last in her semifinal, more than 35 seconds behind Briton Jemma Reekie (1:58.61) and Anaïs Bourgoin (1:58.84), in a shocked Alexander Stadium. “I was running, I felt good, and the next moment I found myself on the ground,” Werro told BBC after finishing with a jog, with minor scrapes on her thigh and elbow. Falls happen quickly. I’ve only got a few scratches and at the moment, I was breathless.” Thunderstrike in the 800 meters with the fall of favorite Audrey Werro, who will not compete in the final 😬pic.twitter.com/BGvMZ8gMhs By clicking “Accept cookies,” you consent to the deposit of cookies by X (Twitter) and will thus be able to access this interactive content. You can, at any time, modify your cookie choices or withdraw your consent at the bottom of our pages. Learn more about our cookie policy and the partner’s privacy policy. Fortunately for the Swiss athlete, the complaint she filed was accepted by the jury in the afternoon, allowing her to be a contender for the final (which will be contested by ten athletes instead of eight as planned), just like Gabija Galvydyte. Given that it was an unfortunate race incident, Anaïs Bourgoin was not disqualified and she will also compete in the European 800m final, billed as the most competitive in history. Between Olympic champion British Keely Hodgkinson, the fascinating Dutchwoman Femke Broeders-Bol, who recently moved up from the 400m hurdles, and thus the favorite for the gold Audrey Werro, this showdown will clearly be worth a watch Friday night. Also read 01:04 01:04 10:24 10:24 10:24 10:24 01:00 01:00 01:35 01:35 02:01 02:01

Audrey Werro's 800m semi-final ended face-down on the track with 120m to go, but there was a swift decision to put her back in Friday's final alongside Keely Hodgkinson, who eased through her own semi in near-perfect control ahead of Femke Broeders-Bol. The European Champs women's 800m semi-finals were run in brutal midday heat on Thursday of 34-35C – probably the hottest conditions at a major UK athletics meet since the AAA Championships in Birmingham back in 1990 – but it was a dramatic late fall for Audrey Werro, rather than the temperature, that ended up as the main talking point. The Swiss sensation, the fastest woman in the world this year over two laps, was leading her semi-final with around 120m to go when she went down hard. Initially spectators assumed she had been clipped from behind by her own Swiss team-mate but later angles told a different story, appearing to show France's Anaïs Bourgoin catching Werro's foot with her hand as the field jostled for position. Whatever the cause, Werro hit the deck, got back up, and – crucially, as it turned out – finished the race, crossing the line in 2:35.35 to at least give herself a chance of a reprieve. That reprieve duly arrived. Less than an hour after the race, a small "qR" appeared next to Werro's name in the results, confirming she had been advanced to Friday's final. Lithuania's Gabija Galvydyte, also caught up in the incident and similarly slow in finishing, 2:03.59, was reinstated alongside her. It means Friday's final field has swelled from the usual eight to ten – not without a certain amount of controversy and plenty of drama. Organisers said they put Werro and Galvydyte into the final due to “an unintentional touch involving the SUI athlete [Werro] and the FRA athlete [Bourgoin]”. They added: “The incident resulted in the fall of two athletes, Werro and Galvydyte. Having reviewed the circumstances, the referee decided to qualify both athletes in accordance with the applicable rules.” Staying remarkably composed given the circumstances, Werro was simply relieved to have given herself a shot. "I was feeling really great but unfortunately something happened and I was just on the ground," she said. She added: "I made a conscious choice to try and manage the race at a moderate pace. It’s always safer to run at the front but today there were risks — I could sense things were hectic behind me. A fall can happen in an instant. I’ve only got a few scrapes. It knocked the wind out of me at the time.” Femke Broeders-Bol, who was racing in the other semi-final a few minutes later, admitted she had only seen the incident once rather than picked over the replays. "I saw it but didn't see the replay," she said. "I hope she's okay first of all, but I think that's part of 800m." Hodgkinson, meanwhile, heard the whole thing unfold as she was getting ready to race rather than seeing it. "I heard a big 'oooh', which is never a good sign, as I was getting ready for my own race," she said. "It's a real shame and I hope she's okay and that she's in the final tomorrow." As for her own race, she kept it simple: "For me, I just wanted to get through and it was similar to the heats but with a bit more strength in depth. The excitement for this event makes me excited. It brings out the best in me. I hope it's a good race and a clean race. We don't want to see anyone falling over in the final." Aside from the drama, the first semi-final still had to produce its qualifiers and it did so with Britain's Jemma Reekie sprinting clear of the melee on the final bend to win in 1:58.61 ahead of Bourgoin (1:58.84) and Switzerland's Veronica Vancardo (1:59.14), who took the third automatic spot in the race. “It was a very messy race for me," said Reekie. "I’m just glad I stayed calm and navigated it well. This has been such a stepping stone for me to get back in and competing with those girls.” Hodgkinson's own semi-final was the faster of the two by some distance and, unlike Werro's race, played out fairly predictably. She led from the front and controlled it exactly as she wanted, going through 400m in 57.71 on her way to victory in 1:57.38, with Broeders-Bol (1:57.46) and Italy's Eloisa Coiro (1:57.74) following her through automatically. Switzerland's Valentina Rosamilia and France's Clara Liberman both ran personal bests, 1:58.16 and 1:58.19 respectively, to claim the two fastest-loser spots and give the final its full complement of qualifiers before the two reinstatements were added on top. With Hodgkinson installed as the favourite for gold and Werro now confirmed for a final she looked to have blown her chances of just an hour earlier, Friday's race has taken on an even sharper edge than the one previewed by the bookmakers earlier in the week – for more on how the betting shapes up between the two of them, see our earlier piece on the odds for an 800m World Record bonus in Birmingham. It remains to be seen, too, how well Werro recovers in the next 24 hours after falling quite heavily on the Alexander Stadium track. Women's 800m semi-final 1: 1 Jemma Reekie (GBR) 1:58.61; 2 Anaïs Bourgoin (FRA) 1:58.84; 3 Veronica Vancardo (SUI) 1:59.14; 4 Gabriela Gajanová (SVK) 1:59.32; 5 Rénelle Lamote (FRA) 1:59.88; 6 Marta Mitjans (ESP) 1:59.91; 7 Gabija Galvydyte (LTU) 2:03.59 qR; 8 Audrey Werro (SUI) 2:35.35 qR Women's 800m semi-final 2: 1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) 1:57.38; 2 Femke Broeders-Bol (NED) 1:57.46; 3 Eloisa Coiro (ITA) 1:57.74; 4 Valentina Rosamilia (SUI) 1:58.16; 5 Clara Liberman (FRA) 1:58.19; 6 Smilla Kolbe (GER) 1:58.21; 7 Nina Vukovic (CRO) 1:59.10; 8 Rocio Arroyo (ESP) 1:59.32

- Published 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, Swiss 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 one minute 54.81 seconds to her rivals' 1:55.01. "Mixed emotions," Hodgkinson told the BBC. "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. "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 medal Hodgkinson had hoped for, silver represented 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. Her silver, which came 20 minutes after Zharnel Hughes won silver in the men's 200m, was the British team's 10th medal in five days, but they have conceded top spot in the medal table to Italy, who now have five golds to the host nations' four. Werro ruins Hodgkinson's European treble bid Werro's triumph was all the more impressive given she suffered a nasty fall in her semi-final on Thursday, before later being reinstated into the final. Replays showed the left hand of France's Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro's right foot. But, clutching her chest in pain as she jogged across the line, she still faced a race against time to recover. That drama led to a congested 10-athlete final - but, despite Briton Jemma Reekie's best efforts, there only ever appeared three contenders for 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 and produced the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983. Hodgkinson, who achieved the first major outdoor title of her career at the European Championships in 2022 before retaining the title in Rome two years ago, vowed not to allow that to happen again. But Werro crashed her bid to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the same event, proving she will be a force to be reckoned with on athletics' biggest stages over the coming years. Hodgkinson can also expect Broeders-Bol, third 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 this season. Shortly before Friday's showpiece event, Hughes had led the 200m final coming off the bend but was overhauled by Germany's fast-finishing Owen Ansah, who took victory in 19.95 seconds. Hughes, world 100m bronze medallist in 2023, entered the championships as the fastest European this year, setting his season's best of 20.04 seconds at Alexander Stadium in winning the British title in June. But Germany's Ansah matched that with a personal-best run in the semi-finals, before going faster still in the final, as British record-holder Hughes took silver in 20.16. Katarina Johnson-Thompson ended day one of the heptathlon in 17th position overall but said she was "just happy to be here" after a difficult season dealing with injuries.

Competence in Birmingham August 13, 2026 | 15:59 Reporting by Cadena 3 BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Swiss standout athlete Audrey Werro has earned a spot in the 800 meters final after falling in her semifinal during Thursday's European Championships. This decision keeps Werro's chance to compete for the gold on Friday night, where she will face current Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and talented Dutch athlete Femke Broeders-Bol. Werro was leading her heat at Alexander Stadium when the fall occurred. Footage showed Anais Bourgoin's left hand hitting her right foot, causing Werro to fall on the final bend. By late June, Werro had posted the third-best women's time in history in this event, 1:53.80. After Thursday’s fall, she got up and jogged to the finish, ending in 2:35.35. She subsequently appealed her position and successfully advanced to the final. “Everything was going well and suddenly I was on the ground. I’ve only got a few scrapes and my bib was torn off, but I’m fine. The body is fine,” Werro said after the incident. Hodgkinson, the British athlete who has expressed her wish to break the world record in the 800 meters, won the other semifinal with a time of 1:57.38, narrowly ahead of Broeders-Bol, who has stood out in her first year at this distance after switching from 400 hurdles. The women’s world record in the 800 meters, set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova, is 1:53.28. What did Audrey Werro achieve? She earned a place in the 800 meters final at the European Championships. How did she reach the final? She advanced to the final after falling in her semifinal and appealing her position. Who are her competitors? She will face Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol in the final. What time did Werro register previously? She clocked 1:53.80, the third-best time in history. What happened in her semifinal? Werro fell after contact with Anais Bourgoin, but got up and finished the race. [Source: AP] You Might Also Like European Championships record Irishman Mark English set a new European Championships record by completing the 800 meters in 1:43.49, surpassing the 1978 mark. First time for Britain Athletes are preparing for the 800 meters final at the European Championships, held for the first time in the United Kingdom. Audrey Werro seeks a medal against rivals like Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol. Norwegian comeback in Birmingham Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen took gold in the 5,000 meters at the European Championships, showing his strength after a Achilles tendon surgery that kept him out of competition. British star shines at European Championships British athlete Amy Hunt, 24, was crowned champion in the 100 meters and is preparing to compete in the 200 and relays at the European Championship, where she hopes for more gold.

ByRIATH AL-SAMARRAI, CHIEF SPORTS FEATURE WRITER Published:21:59, 14 August 2026|Updated:23:53, 14 August 2026 95 Viewcomments Audrey Werro is fast becoming an unsolvable riddle for the leading lady of British sport. For the second time in 10 weeks, this Swiss phenomenon leftKeely Hodgkinsonstaring at her heels in a race that lived up to its billing as the best of the European Championships. To the most talented Audrey since Hepburn went the 800m gold medal. To Hodgkinson, there was presumably no silver lining to be found in finishing a close second on home soil. If there is to be any consolation, it is that Werro, aged 22, clocked a championship record of 1:54.81 on a chilly, breezy evening in Birmingham to beat her. But warmer thoughts will be harder to find for Hodgkinson. Instead, the Olympic champion must process the dawning of a serious rivalry and one that is not currently swinging in her favour. This one was settled by the margin of 0.2sec. In the long run, Hodgkinson might view such moments as the competitive nectar needed for the breaching of new frontiers, of course, but the sting in the present will be real. Not many athletes have the finishing speed to match Hodgkinson, but in their past two races Werro has kicked away from her with the force of a donkey. The decisive move here came after 500 metres, when Werro put the hammer down. Hodgkinson, who had been near enough level at the bell after a 56sec opening lap, went with her, and they both separated from Femke Broeders-Bol in third, but the Brit had no answer. She never got her nose in front, and those moments of futility can leave lasting doubts in an athlete. The 24-year-old, who was chasing a third straight European title, was evidently in little mood to indulge the celebrations of on-track interviewer Iwan Thomas. He assumed she would be thrilled with silver, but Hodgkinson responded: ‘I think I would be happier with a gold.’ Kely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for second in the women's 800m final on Friday Hodgkinson jokingly took off her silver medal at the European Championships in Birmingham She later added: ‘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. ‘I knew it was going to come down to the wire but I really thought I was going to win today. But it wasn't meant to be. I didn't do anything wrong, it was just one of those things. ‘Congrats to Audrey. I am sure we will have more battles.’ That much seems certain. And for two women striving to break the oldest world record in track athletics, that will be a good thing. But Werro has the edge. Having been beaten twice by Hodgkinson during the indoor portion of the season, she gained spectacular revenge in Stockholm in June when the Brit set a personal best of 1:54.33. Not only was that a win against a full-form Hodgkinson, Werro’s time of 1:53.98 was the third quickest in history. A month later, Werro ran quicker again with a 1:53.80 – if anyone is to better the dubious mark of 1:53.28 set by the Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in the Eighties, Werro might have the edge. To think, Werro was only cleared to race in this final on appeal after being tripped in her semi-final. It was a marginal call but also the correct one, so there should be no controversy around what it led to. For Hodgkinson, the bigger picture will make for strange viewing. After the injury troubles of 2025, her times in 2026 have moved sharply on an upward trajectory, including the indoor world record in February, so she rightly resents any suggestion of ‘failure’ at losing a race or two. She was borderline tetchy in using that label prior to these Championships. But in athletics, the clock is a secondary adversary to the field and Werro’s emergence is a huge fly in the ointment. For the rest of us watching, we can presumably take great pleasure in where it leads, because athletics needs rivalries. In these two gifted runners, it has one that has the potential to go on for years.

En cabeza desde la salida, la suiza supera a Hodgkinson y Bol con una gran marca Hace mucho ruido Gianmarco Tamberi cantando el cumpleaños feliz a su hija Camila nada más ganar su cuarto oro europeo en salto de altura (2,32m), pero pese a sus intentos,la noche de Birmingham, la del viernes, todas las noches, pertenece a las mujeres, a las atletas con más personalidad en la pista, a Amy Hunt, la velocista británica que gana el 100m y el 200m, a la italiana Nadia Battocletti, la reina del fondo con sus victorias en los 5.000m y 10.000m (y la española Idaira Prieto acercándose a su corte, cuarta), y a las tres diosas del 800m, Audrey Werro, Keely Hodgkinson, Femke Bol, que disputan una batalla para la leyenda en la final más deseada. Las tres mejores del mundo en su mejor momento, cara a cara, cuchillo contra cuchillo. Tres grandes y una por encima de todas, la suiza de Friburgo Werro, padre helvético, madre de Costa de Marfil, 22 años, zapatillas rosa, garras en su pose para las cámaras y pies alados en la pista que vuela en diagonal desde su salida en la calle nueve, esprinta para coger el primer puesto en la calle libre y allí se queda hasta el final. Campeona de Europacon un tiempo récord de los campeonatosde 1m 54,81, una marca que también le habría hecho campeona olímpica o campeona del mundo en todas las finales salvo en Moscú 80 y Tokio 25. El primer gran título de una atleta que vive con sus padres y hermanos, hecha en el ambiente familiar de un club de provincias suizo, y entrenada desde niña por una maestra llamada Christiane Berset Nuoffer que ha ido progresando al tiempo que lo hacía su pupila. Y en la pista, brisa fría combatiendo eficazmente el bochorno del día, solo suenan tolones de campanas de vacas suizas, lo que tanto gusta a su afición. Hace un mes, Werro (que se pronuncia veró, a la francesa) corrió en París en 1m 53,80s, la mejor marca jamás lograda en 43 años, desde el récord del mundo hipertrofiado de Jarmila Kratochvilova, 1m 53,28s. Consiguió el registro gracias al aliento persistente en su nuca de Hodgkinson, la campeona olímpica de París, 24 años, inglesa de Manchester entrenada por la exatleta Jenny Meadows y su marido, Trevor Painter, un portento. Son dos frontrunners natas. Solo saben correr en cabeza (Werro dice que es por torpeza, porque no sabe adaptar su gran zancada, tan alta y fuerte es para los cánones de la distancia, a marchas en pelotones apretados). Y cuando están delante a ninguna nadie las adelanta. Rudisha y otros grandes eran frontrunners en solitario. Aquí lo son las dos. Detrás de ellas, Bol, la doble campeona del mundo de 400m vallas que llega fuerte a un territorio inexplorado con su velocidad de base de cuatrocentista. Espera su oportunidad en la recta fina. Sueña con que las dos se agoten en su empeño cara a cara y le dejen la recta para volar. No fue así. Hodgkinson insiste detrás de Werro, que ya no tropieza y cae con su impresionante velocidad de crucero (56,5 sen el 400m), como hizo en las semifinales, y le aprieta al máximo la inglesa en la killing zone, la contrarrecta en la que se decide todo. Quien gasta de más allí no tiene fuerzas en la recta final. Werro resiste y también en la curva, el último cambio desesperado de Hodgkinson, quien en la última recta ve, desesperada, la victoria huir delante de sus narices, bien agarrada por las garras de una casi adolescente suiza, dueña del futuro

News & Videos Stories Werro advanced after fall as Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol ease through 800m semifinals Werro advanced after fall as Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol ease through 800m semifinals Share Competitions !Cover image of Werro advanced after fall as Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol ease through 800m semifinals © Getty Images Disaster struck 2026 world leader Audrey Werro, who has broken the 1:54-barrier twice this year, in the semifinals of the women’s 800m at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Thursday (13). Werro took a heavy tumble in the first semifinal, but was later given a reprieve by the referee to take her place in Friday's (14) final. In summary • World leader Werro crashes to track in first semi final with 150m to go • Olympic champion Hodgkinson wins second semi final in 1:57.38 • Broeders-Bol tracks Olympic champion in second with 1:57.46 Werro held the inside line of a deeply bunched field through the 600m mark in 1:28.52 before disaster befell the long-striding Swiss athlete who tripped and suddenly found herself splayed on the ground. As the field swept past the stricken Swiss athlete, Jemma Reekie battled to victory in the first semifinal in 1:58.61 ahead of France’s Anais Bourgoin (1:58.84) and Switzerland’s Veronica Vancardo(1:59.14). Werro seemed winded by the fall but she still had the presence of mind to get up and jog across the finish-line in 2:35.35. "I was feeling really great but unfortunately something happened and I was just on the ground," she said. This isn’t the first time Werro has fallen in a major event. She also fell in the final of the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn last March. After a dramatic wait, she was later given the benefit of the doubt by the referee, as was Lithuania's Gabija Galvydyte who was also caught up in the melee of the first semifinal. It means ten athletes will line up in Friday's final. Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol had a much more event-free passage. First and second at the bell in 57.71, the two protagonists came home in that order in 1:57.38 and 1:57.46 respectively. “I hope she’s OK and she’ll be in the final tomorrow,” said Hodgkinson when asked about Werro’s fall in her post-race interview. Italy’s Eloisa Coiro , who broke Gabriella Dorio's 46-year-old national record in the heats, broke the 1:58-barrier again with a 1:57.74 to secure the third qualifying spot. Switzerland's Valentina Rosamilia (1:58.16) and France's Clara Liberman (1:58.19) also progressed through on time from the second semifinal. German duo ease through 3000m steeplechase heats The men’s 3000m steeplechase heats were altogether more routine with German medal favourites Frederik Ruppert and Karl Bebendorf both cantering through to Sunday’s final. European record-holder Ruppert was content to finish third in the first heat in 8:35.46 and Bebendorf was equally expedient with his energy levels, cruising to sixth place in 8:35.26 in heat two. Full results This translation has been generated with AI Follow us Most viewed

European Championships 2026 - With Hodgkinson, Werro and Broeders-Bol and a possible world record, this women’s 800m is the race of the year For almost two minutes, Birmingham will tremble Friday night. Favored over the men’s 200m to close the evening, the women’s 800m final promises a fierce battle among three Post-World Champions of middle distance: Keely Hodgkinson, Audrey Werro, and Femke Broeders-Bol, who has stepped away from the 400m hurdles in 2026. Kratochvilova’s world record, the oldest in athletics, could fall. Just a bit, the dream final was about to take off. This Thursday, when Audrey Werro clipped the tape in the last bend in the semi-final, the prospect of seeing the three best runners of the moment settle their scores disappeared for a few minutes. Still shocked by her abrupt stumble on the tartan, the Swiss athlete finished her race and, good for her, earned a repechage. She will indeed be one of the main actors in the women’s 800m this Friday (10:46 PM) in front of which everyone is in a frenzy. The organization of these European Championships did not hesitate long to save Werro: one does not easily deprive the third-best performer in the history of an event. At the Paris meeting in June, the imposing Fribourger athlete made Charléty rise when her pace-setter propelled her toward the bases of Jarmila Kratochvilova’s world record, the oldest in the history of athletics – it has stood for 43 years now (1:53.28). Breaking Kratochvilova’s record is no longer a fantasy Werro failed that day, but with her 1:53.80, at 22, she dusted off a time that no one had approached in ages, for reasons never admitted by Kratochvilova, but which everyone suspects given the state of doping in the communist bloc sports teams in the 1980s. “There, I’m getting closer; so, logically, I’m thinking about it a bit,” Werro acknowledged to L’Équipe recently. “It doesn’t shock me as much anymore. I’ve gotten used to the idea. I just didn’t think it would become such a topic so soon.” Yet it’s not behind her that Birmingham will push. In this ten-woman final, an oddity allowed by Werro’s repechage and by a Lithuanian she pulled down in her fall, the Alexander Stadium will have voice only for the British and especially for one of them. Jemma Reekie knows it; the cheers will go to Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic 800m champion in Paris. Her very pretty résumé at only 24 has been further crowned this winter by a world indoor record in the 800m in Liévin, which solidified her as the leading figure of British athletics. The Briton also has her eyes on the world record, even if she noted in the mixed zone that “three races in four days in a row changes everything”: “There are no rabbits, we don’t care about the times, it’s about handling the pressure of a championship.” Moreover, a third contender will join the battle: Femke Broeders-Bol. And in all this, Bourgoin... The specialist in the 400m hurdles decided this season, like Léon Marchand in swimming, to change disciplines and add another lap. Here she is already among the best, while refusing to admit it: “In the 400m hurdles, I had my own lane, my own hurdles, I knew what I was worth. Now, everything is new!” Nevertheless, behind the other two, she already holds the third-fastest time in the world in 2026. All this wouldn’t be enough without a French touch: two French women will start in this high-octane race. If Clara Liberman starts as a big outsider, Anaïs Bourgoin will join with the fourth-best performance in the world this season: her French record in Charléty in June. Turning thirty in October, she is performing like never before in her career and will fiercely defend her European bronze medal won in Rome in 2024. Two more runners, three middle-distance prodigies, a world record on the line, and the illusion of a French medal: this women’s 800m still looks a lot like the race of the year.

Werro reigns in the “Race of the Year,” European 800m for Warholm and Tamberi Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – In a stellar final, Swiss Audrey Werro was crowned European 800m queen on Friday in Birmingham, a day also marked by Karsten Warholm’s fourth European gold in the 400m hurdles and Gianmarco Tamberi’s in the high jump. First adjustment: Werro flew to victory in 1:54.81, a new championship record, enough to beat Olympic British champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:55.01) for silver and Dutchwoman Femke Broeders-Bol (1:55.54) for bronze. Werro thus secures her first major international title in what many experts regarded as “the race of the year” in athletics, with the three best in the world in this event lined up on the same starting line for the first time. The 22-year-old Swiss middle-distance runner arrived in Birmingham as the favorite after this year running twice below 1:54 (1:53.98 in Stockholm and 1:53.80 in Paris), times not seen since the 1980s and bringing her closer to the old world record by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova (1:53.28, set in 1983). That mark will have to wait, but Werro knocked down another enduring European Championship record, the 1:55.41 set by Olga Mineyeva in 1982. Relief after the scare Werro had grazed disaster in the semifinals, nearly eliminated by a fall with 120 meters to go. She entered the final as a runner-up and soon took control, leading at 400 meters – halfway – and fending off Hodgkinson’s challenges. “The last hours were an emotional roller coaster, so I’m very happy,” Werro said, breathing a sigh of relief after her victory. Broeders-Bol claimed bronze less than a year after surprising athletics by switching disciplines to the 800 meters, leaving the 400m hurdles, where she had been one of the big stars. Triumphant display The anticipation of that final eclipsed the other Friday heroes in Birmingham, starting with Norwegian Karsten Warholm and his fourth European gold in the 400m hurdles. Without his usual big rivals, American Rai Benjamin and Brazilian Alison Dos Santos, the path appeared very clear for the most charismatic Viking in athletics, who lowered his European Championship record to 46.63, more than a second ahead of his pursuers. Warholm, world record holder (45.94), Olympic champion in 2021 and three-time world champion (2017, 2019, 2023), had already won the European title in 2018, 2022 and 2024. “Honestly, that’s why I keep coming, to run in front of the crowd and win once again,” he said. Italian double joy Italy also accumulated four European golds for Tamberi, 34, in the high jump, though not consecutively in this case. This time he won with 2.32 meters, his best jump since September 2024 after two difficult years. It was Italy’s second gold of the day, as Nadia Battocletti sealed the double on the track: after winning the 5,000 meters, she took the 10,000 meters on Friday (31:41.17). It was a race where Spain came close to the podium with Idaira Prieto, fourth just twelve seconds behind bronze. In the other finals of the day, German Owen Ansah (19.95) triumphed in the 200 meters and Dutch Jorinde Van Klinken (67.67 m) in the discus throw. © 2026 AFP

Europeans: Audrey Werro becomes a global superstar A thrill-inducing 800m race in Birmingham! In an electric atmosphere, Audrey Werro secured world-star status by winning the European title after a clash of titans, in 1:54.81, a new championship record. The 22-year-old from Fribourg was clearly the strongest in this long-anticipated duel—“the race of the year” according to specialists—between three queens: Werro, the third-fastest woman in history; Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic champion and two-time defending champion; and Dutchwoman Femke Bol-Broeders, two-time 400m hurdles world champion and a newcomer to the 400m–800m double. This final was historic on two counts. First, these three adored champions were gathered in the same race for the first time; second, all three are closely followed by the entire athletics world—and beyond—for their ability to beat the aging world record of Jarmila Kratochvílová (1:53.28), the oldest record in athletics. The clear favorite is Audrey Werro, more than ever since Friday. She took command of the final, starting from lane 9. Though challenged by Hodgkinson, who stayed beside her, Werro accelerated again at 300m, reaching the halfway mark in 56.45, faster than Kratochvílová’s split (56.82). She held her ground in the final straight, fending off the almost impossible comeback attempt by Hodgkinson to win her first major elite title, the day after her fall and her repechage into the semifinals. The Briton took silver in 1:55.01 and Femke Bol-Broeders bronze in 1:55.54. Valentina Rosamilia of Aargau finished 7th in 1:59.42 and Fribourgeoise Veronica Vancardo 8th in 2:00.17.

Les trois meilleures mondiales, Audrey Werro, Kelly Hodgkinson, Femke Broeders-Bol, deux Françaises. Vendredi soir à Birmingham (Angleterre) s'est tenue la course de ces Championnats d'Europe, le 800 m féminin. Et à la fin, la favorite l'a emporté : Audrey Werro s'est imposée en 1'54''81, record des Championnats, devant la Britannique Keely Hodgkinson (1'55''01) la Néerlandaise Femke Broeders-Bol (1'55''54), qui bat le record des Pays-Bas. Les deux Françaises ont fini aux deux dernières places : Anaïs Bourgoin a terminé 9e en 2'00''65 et Clara Liberman, 10e en 2'01''84. Au couloir 9 en tant que repêchée, Werro était à distance de ses deux principales rivales, la championne olympique en titre Hodgkinson, et Broeders-Bol, venue du 400 m haies, mais elle a fait l'effort dès le départ pour se rabattre en tête. Et donner le tempo, en compagnie de Hodgkinson. Accélération brutale Werro a pris les choses en main peu avant la cloche : elle a placé une accélération brutale qui a écrémé le peloton de 10 coureuses. L'Italienne Eloisa Coiro et les deux Françaises ont fait partie des lâchées. Elles n'étaient donc plus que 4 pour le podium : Werro, Hodgkinson, Broeders-Bol et l'expérimentée Jemma Reekie, qui a un record en 1'55''61 mais n'avait pas fait mieux que 1'58''41 cette année. Dans une ambiance dingue - l'Alexander Stadium était plein à craquer pour la première fois de la semaine, la Fribourgeoise est parvenue à résister à plusieurs tentatives de la Britannique et a fait parler sa puissance pour faire tomber le vieux record des Championnats qui était détenu depuis 1982 par Olga Mineyeva. Une victoire en toute logique : elle est devenue la première au 21e siècle à descendre sous la 1'54'', s'approchant du sulfureux record du monde de la Tchèque Jarmila Kratochvilova en 1983.

Audrey Werro against Hodgkinson in the 800m final at the Europeans Europeans: an 800m race with 3 Swiss women All eyes on Audrey Werro at the European Championships in Birmingham. The Fribourguoise, given a second chance after a fall in the semifinals, is highly anticipated Friday night for the 800m final. It will be at 10:46 PM. Facing Keely Hodgkinson, on her home turf, Audrey Werro will try to clinch the European champion title. And given the dominance of European athletes in the discipline, that would mean a great deal in case of a title. After her fall, Audrey Werro will still need not to overthink things and perhaps set a steadier pace to avoid the same scenario in the final. If the logic holds, we should be treated to a duel between the Fribourguoise and Hodgkinson with Femke Broeders-Bol behind. There will be ten girls and three Swiss women in this final since Veronica Vancardo and Valeria Rosamilia also earned their spots. It is hard to imagine a medal for the two athletes given the depth of the field. This fifth day of competition will also mark the start of the heptathlon with Annik Kälin as the favorite and aiming for a new Swiss record. And why not become the sixth woman to surpass the mythical 7000-point mark?

Jarmila Kratochvílová holds the oldest world record in the history of athletics. She has held it in the 800 meters since 1983 (1:53.28). The Czech, a 400 m specialist, achieved it amid suspicions of cheats in an era when state-sponsored doping was in vogue, for example in the former East Germany. 43 years later, Swiss athlete Audrey Werro, the first woman in four decades to dip under 1:54 (1:53.98, last June), the British Keely Hodgkinson, and the Dutch Femke Broeders-Bol were about to compete in one of the most exciting finals of the Birmingham European Championships. The most anticipated final. The one with the most expectation. With the stadium full. Norwegian Warholm claimed his fourth consecutive European title in the 400 m hurdles, in which he had no rival. And indeed the race did not disappoint. Kratochvílová held on the boards, but it increasingly seemed likely that her record could fall. Because on a windy night, not propitious for marks, Werro dethroned Hodgkinson with a marvelous time of 1:54.81, a championship record. Werro went out to lead from the start after being dragged into the final after falling in the semifinals. The Swiss did not want trouble this time and was very brave. She withstood all Hodgkinson’s attempts to pass her at the 600-meter mark and also in the final straight. She could not be overtaken. Hodgkinson pressed but had to yield. After two consecutive European titles, the British woman, at home, found defeat and had to settle for silver (1:55.01). The bronze went to the versatile Femke Broeders-Bol, who left this season the hurdles to switch to the 800, competing as she is, a champion. She equaled the Netherlands’ record (1:55.54). The Dutch athlete already has continental medals in five different events (400 m hurdles, 400 m, 4x400 women, 4x400 mixed, and 800 meters). The battle among Werro, Hodgkinson, and Broeders-Bol closed a prodigiously expressive night of international stars. Like Karsten Warholm. The Norwegian strode in the final of the 400 meters hurdles to hang his fourth consecutive European gold in this event (46.63). Spanish runner Jesús David Delgado, “El Flaco,” finished sixth (48.66). Battocletti added the 10,000 gold to the one he already earned in the 5,000 in a final in which Segovian Idaira Prieto shone, fourth. Speaking of legends, Nadia Battocletti is not far behind. The Italian added the 10,000 gold (31:41.17) to the one he had already achieved in the 5,000. He captured it in a race in which he did whatever he wanted to deliver the final blow in the last 200 meters with a majestic change of pace. In this final, Segovian Idaira Prieto shined again, finishing fourth with her personal best (31:59.84). Her father, the legendary 80s distance runner Antonio “El Taca” Prieto, had asked her to finish among the eight first. She did so well, with a very intelligent race that matched the position achieved by her father at the 1990 European Championships. “I’ve proven to myself that I can be among the best,” Idaira Prieto said. One athlete who has long been among the best is high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi. The Italian defender of the Roma 2024 title cleared 2.32 meters. He arrived with injuries and problems but is a tremendous competitor who enters a trance. He got the stadium on its feet. What charisma. What a show. He ended up making the audience sing Happy Birthday to his daughter, who was in the stands.

Audrey Werro won a masterful race to assert herself in this royal 800 m. © (Photo AFP) Many people saw it as “the race of the year.” And the women’s 800 m final indeed delivered on its promises, Friday night in Birmingham. The three current world leaders over the distance battled in a superb showdown. It was ultimately Swiss runner Audrey Werro – who was put back in the race after her fall in the semi-final on Thursday – who came out on top, ahead of Olympic champion British Keely Hodgkinson and Dutchwoman Femke Broeders-Bol. She took the lead at 400 m (56.45), then resisted Hodgkinson’s attempts to move ahead, before asserting herself in a high-energy atmospher e at Alexander Stadium, packed for the first time of the week. Werro, winner in 1:54.81, thus broke the championship record, which dated from 1982 (1:55.41 by Olga Mineyeva). She even came close to the oldest world athletics record, the sultry 1:53.28 set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983. “I am very happy; it was my goal of the year,” said the Fribourgeois to France TV. “Telling myself I’d be in the final without finishing in the top three wasn’t easy mentally. But I knew physically I was ready and that I belonged in this final. Besides the sense of revenge, it mainly served as experience: you have to be very attentive in a race, because a race incident like that can happen very quickly. I really seized this second chance.” The race was tough for the French, who finished in the last two places: Vendôme native Anaïs Bourgoin finished 9th in 2:00.65, ahead of her compatriot Clara Liberman, 10th. “It’s a somewhat shameful performance in my eyes,” Bourgoin reacted immediately to France TV, visibly very disappointed in herself. “I didn’t have the energy to do more. I thought I would be ready; the form took time to come back this last month (after a hamstring injury). I didn’t even think I’d reach the final. But there, to post a performance like that when I’m supposed to be fighting for the gold medal or at least a medal, it’s going to be very, very hard to swallow.” There were no French medals on this Birmingham night, which began with Alessia Zarbo’s fall in the 10,000 m – won by titleholder Nadia Battocletti of Italy, already the 5,000 m champion on Tuesday. Mélina Robert-Michon, however, did not achieve a breakthrough in the discus final, finishing 9th. The title went to Dutchwoman Jorinde van Klinken with a best throw of 67.67 m. In other events, German Owen Ansah won the 200 m final in 19.95, ahead of British sprinter Zharnel Hugues (20.16), and Italian Eseosa Fostine Desalu and Swiss Timothé Mumenthaler, joint 20.26. Norwegian Karsten Warholm dominated the 400 m hurdles to claim a fourth consecutive continental title: the world record holder in the 400 m clocked 46.63 to set the European record in the hurdles. German Emil Agyekum (47.87) and Turkish Ismail Nezir (48.26) completed the podium. In the high jump, Gianmarco Tamberi was crowned European champion for the fourth time. As usual, the exuberant Italian put on a show all evening, clearing 2.32 m on his second attempt, his best jump in nearly two years after long months of injury and doubt.

BIRMINGHAM, England, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Switzerland's Audrey Werro continued her remarkable rise by holding off Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to win the 800 metres crown at the European Athletics Championships a day after a heavy fall in the semi-finals. The 22-year-old, who shocked the sport earlier this season by clocking the fastest time in 43 years, pulled away from Briton Hodgkinson over the final 150 metres to cruise through the finish line in one minute 54.81 seconds. Sign up here. Crowd favourite Hodgkinson finished second in 1:55.01, while Femke Broeders-Bol, the twice world champion over 400 metre hurdles, was third in 1:55.54 to continue her successful move up to the two-lap event. The result sets the stage for a tantalising rematch at next month's World Ultimate Athletics Championships in Budapest. Werro, whose career has skyrocketed over the past few months, showed both resilience and composure to recover from Thursday's semi-final, when she took a hard tumble to finish last, but was reinstated for the final after it was determined that France's Anais Bourgoin made contact with Werro's right foot before the fall. Her victory was another stunning chapter in her rapid ascent, and marked her first senior championship title. "It's been up and down over the last hours, I'm very happy with the medal," said Werro. After years of being the woman everyone else chased, Hodgkinson found herself looking at the back of the rapidly rising Werro. The Swiss led from the gun and over the final 200m, glanced sideways several times to ensure Hodgkinson was not coming up on her shoulder. She need not have worried, as she surged down the home straight out of reach of the Olympic champion. "A bit of mixed emotions," Hodgkinson told the BBC. "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. "I've said all year it's really motivating to be in such a competitive event," she added on the calibre of the field. "I love it, I think it brings out the best in me. Championship racing, that's what it's all about." Werro ran a jaw-dropping 1:53.80 at the Paris Diamond League on June 28, the third fastest time ever. The world record of 1:53.28 was set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983. Karsten Warholm of Norway, meanwhile, raced to his fourth successive European title in the 400m hurdles, clocking 46.63 seconds to break his own championship record. "This means a lot and now I have more European golds than anyone before me in the 400m hurdles," Warholm told the BBC. "That's what motivates me now I'm starting to become an old horse." Italian Gianmarco Tamberi, who has struggled with injuries the past couple of seasons, cleared 2.32 metres to win his fourth European high jump gold medal. Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Pritha Sarkar Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The grand finale explanation of the 800m for women on Friday night is one of the most anticipated events of the European Championships. Audrey Werro, Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol will line up for the first time on the same starting line for what has already been described as the "race of the year." In a season without major championships (Worlds or Olympics), the prospect of seeing the oldest world record in athletics fall—the highly controversial 1:53.28 set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983—has generated a lot of ink in early summer. It was first Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, the holder of the indoor world record beaten early in the year, who announced long ago that she aimed to tackle it. The Englishwoman has seen a formidable challenger arrive on her trail. For it is ultimately Swiss athlete Audrey Werro who has come closest to the record by running under 1:54 twice (1:53.98 in Stockholm ahead of Hodgkinson and 1:53.80 in Paris), times not seen for forty years. But that’s not all. If the British and the Swiss now lead a discipline that has entered a new era, a third girl has joined this duo. Dutchwoman Femke Broeders-Bol, two-time World Champion in the 400m hurdles, has turned to the 800m this year, though she is a bit behind in times. Broeders-Bol has run two laps in 1:55.60 and is the third-best performer worldwide this year. All of this could turn the final into a real fireworks show, not least because the three athletes have never lined up together on the same starting line.

European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026: results and live updates From August 10 to 16, Alexander Stadium hosts the continental elite: Duplantis, Ingebrigtsen, Bol, Hodgkinson and 80 French athletes led by Jimmy Gressier. Final results and medal table updated every evening. No French medals on Friday, but a very high-level evening at Alexander Stadium: Karsten Warholm powered the 400m hurdles in 46.63, a championships record, while Audrey Werro created a sensation in the women's 800m by beating home favorite Keely Hodgkinson, also a championships record (1:54.81). Nadia Battocletti achieved a 5000-10,000m double after her title on Tuesday, and Gianmarco Tamberi regained gold in the high jump. Full results and medal table updated here every evening through August 16. A historic first beyond the Channel Alexander Stadium, renovated for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and home to the legendary Birchfield Harriers, serves as the backdrop for this 27th edition. The field is superb: Armand Duplantis aiming for a 16th world record in the pole vault (child ticket “Mondo Ticket” sold for £6.31, the height of his record), Jakob Ingebrigtsen meeting Josh Kerr in the 1500m, and the women’s 800m promising a summit between local idol Keely Hodgkinson, Femke Bol and Audrey Werro. Nadia Battocletti and Yaroslava Mahuchikh complete a royal lineup, in a stadium whose north stand, enlarged for the occasion, is named after the country’s own Matthew Hudson-Smith — a 400m gold medallist on the third evening. On the French side, the French Athletics Federation (FFA) selected 80 athletes (45 men, 35 women). The boss is Jimmy Gressier, double world medallist 2025 (gold in the 10,000m, bronze in the 5000m), entered in both distances. Three European champions were defending their titles in Birmingham: Gabriel Tual in the 800m, Alexis Miellet in the men’s 3000m steeple, and Alice Finot in the women’s 3000m steeple — the latter ultimately earning a medal, but silver rather than gold. Samuel Vessat arrives in England crowned with his French record in the 400m set in Albi, where he erased Leslie Djhone from the records. Azeddine Habz, Agathe Guillemot, Just Kwaou-Mathey, Hilary Kpatcha, Louise Maraval, Yann Chaussinand and decathlete Makenson Gletty complete the main French lineup. Each day is organized into two sessions, morning and evening, with finals starting on the first Monday. Road events (race walking on Saturday, marathons on Sunday) take place in the city center with finish at Victoria Square. All sessions are broadcast on France Télévisions. This page is updated daily with results, French medals and highlights. The French squad Men (45) - Muhammad Abdallah Kounta — 400m, 4x400m & mixed - Yann Spillmann — 400m, 4x400m & mixed - Samuel Vessat — 400m, 4x400m & mixed - Corentin Le Clézio — 800m - Yanis Méziane — 800m - Louey Ouerrat — 800m - Gabriel Tual — 800m - Paul Anselmini — 1500m - Azeddine Habz — 1500m - Romain Mornet — 1500m - Étienne Daguinos — 5000m - Jimmy Gressier — 5000m & 10,000m - Simon Bédard — 10,000m - Baptiste Guyon — 10,000m - Félix Bour — marathon - Hassan Chahdi — marathon - Valentin Gondouin — marathon - Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse — marathon - Just Kwaou-Mathey — 110m hurdles - Théo Pedre — 110m hurdles - Thomas Wilkes — 110m hurdles - Clément Ducos — 400m hurdles - Pierre Boudy — 3000m steeple - Nicolas-Marie Daru — 3000m steeple - Baptiste Fourmont — 3000m steeple - Alexis Miellet — 3000m steeple - Mathieu Collet — pole vault - Thibaut Collet — pole vault - Baptiste Thiery — pole vault - Erwan Konaté — long jump - Thomas Gogois — triple jump - Jonathan Seremes — triple jump - Stephen Louis Mailagi — shot put - Lolassonn Djouhan — discus - Yann Chaussinand — hammer throw - Felise Vahai Sosaia — javelin - Antoine Ferranti — decathlon - Makenson Gletty — decathlon - Kilian Lebreton — race walking half-marathon - Martin Madeline-Degy — race walking marathon - Aurélien Quinion — race walking marathon - Predea Manounou — 4x400m & mixed - Dylan Mileau — 4x400m & mixed - Benoît Moudio Priso — 4x400m & mixed - Jimy Soudril — 4x400m & mixed Women (35) - Gémima Joseph — 200m - Isabelle Black — 400m, 4x400m & mixed - Anaïs Bourgoin — 800m - Rénelle Lamote — 800m - Clara Liberman — 800m - Adèle Gay — 1500m - Agathe Guillemot — 1500m - Augustine Haquet — 1500m - Alessia Zarbo — 10,000m - Sacha Alessandrini — 100m hurdles - Laëticia Bapté — 100m hurdles - Louise Maraval — 400m hurdles, 4x400m & mixed - Meta Tumba — 400m hurdles - Clara Entresangle — 3000m steeple - Alice Finot — 3000m steeple - Flavie Renouard — 3000m steeple - Solène Gicquel — high jump - Marie-Julie Bonnin — pole vault - Margot Chevrier — pole vault - Bérénice Petit — pole vault - Rogilia Bissemo — long jump - Yanis Esmeralda David — long jump - Hilary Kpatcha — long jump - Ilionis Guillaume — triple jump - Mélina Robert-Michon — discus - Rose Loga — hammer - Alizée Minard — javelin - Clémence Beretta — race walking half-marathon - Ana Delahaie — race walking half-marathon - Pauline Stey — race walking half-marathon - Camille Moutard — race walking marathon - Amandine Brossier — 4x400m - Orianne Chéry — 4x400m - Benedetta Kouakou — 4x400m - Marina Lasserre — 4x400m

European Athletics Championship: Keely Hodgkinson forced to settle for silver as Audrey Werro wins women's 800m gold Swiss favourite Audrey Werro holds off Keely Hodgkinson to clinch women's 800m gold at European Athletics Championship in Birmingham; result ended British Olympic champion Hodgkinson's hopes of a hat-trick of European 800m victories, having clinched gold in Munich 2022 and Rome 2024 Friday 14 August 2026 22:30, UK Keely Hodgkinson came up just short of a coveted European 800m title hat-trick after Swiss favourite Audrey Werro won their hotly-anticipated showdown in Birmingham as the British Olympic champion settled for silver. Hodgkinson started quicker but was overtaken by Werro on the back straight and the latter was never overtaken after the first 200m. Double-defending champion Hodgkinson was just behind as they rounded the final bend, but Werro would not be caught and crossed the finish in a championship record 1:54.81. - Glave: From 2022 in a back brace to European champion - 'Delayed but not denied' - European Athletics Championships 2026: Updates from Birmingham - England finish second in Commonwealth Games medal table - 'Ramsay-Peaty emotion showed what Commonwealth Games means' Hodgkinson claimed silver in 1:55.01 and the Netherlands' Femke-Broeders Bol took bronze in a national record 1:55.54. After losing her title, Hodgkinson said: "Mixed emotions. With that level of competition, any medal is an achievement. "I thought I was going to win. I didn't do anything wrong, just one of those things. "I've had a pretty good day today, just didn't go the way that I wanted. "There were so many different ways that could have played out and we'd figure it out after the first 100m. Audrey wanted to take it on and with that wind I was happy to let her. We're all really great athletes so I knew it was going to be close. I'm looking forward to the next match-up. "I've said all year it's really motivating to be in such a competitive event. I love it, it brings out the best in me. Championship racing, that's what it's all about, you don't know how it's going to go and some people can have a good day or a bad day. I had a pretty good day today but it just didn't go how I wanted it to." The world record remains the longest-standing record in athletics set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova's with a time of 1:53.28 seconds. While the world record wasn't troubled, Werro's time of 1:54.81 did break the championship record set by Olga Mineyeva in 1982. Hodgkinson's silver medal is Britain's 10th medal in five days on home soil. Earlier on Friday, Zharnel Hughes claimed silver in the men's 200m.

When Audrey Werro was a child, she was so painfully shy that her father told her she had to become a lion every time she raced. In a European women’s 800m final for the ages, she followed that advice to the letter. As the 22-year-old Swiss superstar came around the final bend, she could feel Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson on her shoulder, waiting to strike. The Dutch flyer Femke Broeders-Bol was also close enough to dream too. But Werro was ready to flash her teeth. It didn’t matter that she had been spiked by Broeders-Bol after 200m. Or that she had led the pack into the face of a swirling wind for most of the race. She didn’t succumb. She roared. The noise from the full house of 23,000 home fans was deafening as Hodgkinson tried to pass her on the outside. But the gap never closed. Instead Werro took gold in 1min 54.81sec – a time that broke a championship record that had stood since 1982. It left Hodgkinson looking mightily disappointed after running 1:55.01 to take silver, with Broeders-Bol claiming bronze. But the Olympic champion was also gracious in defeat after. “It doesn’t sting because I was beaten by a great athlete,” said Hodgkinson. “I think I put together a pretty good race. I don’t think I did anything wrong. The thing about the 800m is you have a million different ways of going in your head but I covered every move well. I just didn’t have enough.” There was a moment, though, that she did believe. “In that last 50, I thought I had it,” she said. “But she’s a strong athlete.” As for Werro, her smile told the story given that on Thursday lunchtime it appeared she was out of these Championships after being tripped in the semi-finals. “I am really happy with this medal after a crazy 24 hours,” she said. “When I was a child, my dad used to tell me I had to be a lion. So I decided to do a celebration with that when I crossed the line.” Before the final, Hodgkinson had asked the weather gods for no wind to help her bid for a third successive European title. But they had other ideas. It was whippy and blustery throughout. But that didn’t deter Werro, who went to the front early. And as the bell sounded with the clock showing 56.45, the big three began to stretch away. “Audrey wanted to take it on and, with that wind, I was happy to let her,” said Hodgkinson. “We’re all great athletes and I knew it was going to be close.” It was. And that allowed Hodgkinson to be philosophical after. “We’re all going to win some, lose some,” she said. “Shit happens. Audrey fell over yesterday. She’d made it back. I know what that took out of me a few weeks ago. So yeah, incredible for her. And yeah, life goes on. I’ll go back and train and just hope I get it next time.” That may prove easier said than done given that Werro has run the third, fourth and ninth fastest times in history since June. But only a fool would write the British runner off. There was a second silver medal on the night for Britain in the form of Zharnel Hughes in the men’s 200m. Hughes ran a creditable 20.16, especially given that he has been battling a groin injury. However, he had no answer to the speed of Germany’s Owen Ansah, who powered to victory in 19.95. There was a rare dead heat for bronze between Italy’s Eseosa Fostine Desalu and Switzerland’s Timothé Mumenthaler, who both ran 20.26. However, Ansah’s gold medal was instantly controversial given that last week Germany’s National Anti-Doping Agency had recommended that he should receive a four-year suspension over a possible anti-doping violation. The German authorities claim that is because Ansah missed a test in July. Ansah disputes this. But Hughes will be upgraded to gold if Ansah is banned. Earlier in the night, some of Europe’s biggest stars also shone brightly. First Italy’s Nadia Battocletti added the European 10,000m title to her 5,000m crown with a devastating 28-second burst over the last 200m. Then Norway’s Karsten Warholm ran a championship record time of 46.63 to storm to gold in the men’s 400m hurdles. But perhaps the sweetest moment of the night came when another Italian star, the high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, asked the crowd to sing happy birthday to his one-year-old daughter, Camilla, after he leaped 2.32m to win gold. They duly obliged too. But there was little joy for Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the women’s heptathlon. The 33-year-old felt the effects of a calf niggle as she finished day one in 16th place with just 3,644 points – a long way behind the leader Adrianna Sulek-Schubert of Poland on 3,968.

Keely Hodgkinson’s main rival, Audrey Werro, was advanced to the 800m final at the European Athletics Championships after a shock result in her semi-final as she fell hard and finished last. Werro, the fastest woman in the world this year, led the first semi-final from the start and responded to accelerations from Britain’s Jemma Reekie and French record holder Anais Bourgoin. But the 22-year-old appeared to have her right foot accidentally clipped by Bourgoin’s left hand on the final bend and hit the deck hard, with Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte also falling as the other runners attempted to evade the fallen Swiss. Both athletes eventually got to their feet and finished the race, with Werro crossing the line last looking heavily winded and clutching her ribs. Referees advanced both her and Galvydyte to the final after appeals, meaning 10 athletes will race for the title on Friday. Hodgkinson eased to victory in her semi-final, winning in 1:57.38 from Femke Broeders-Bol, who looked comfortable on her shoulder in an unfamiliar event for the Dutchwoman, having stepped up from her usual 400m hurdles this year. The result leaves the pair and Werro on course for a blockbuster clash in Friday’s final. Werro told the BBC afterwards: “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.” She confirmed that she kept running in order to be able to appeal for a place in the final, if video replays suggested she was hindered by another athlete: “This is the reason why I finished the race and it’s always important to go until the end, now we will see what happened.” Reekie came through to win the semi-final in 1:58.61, with Bourgoin and Switzerland’s Veronica Vancardo completing the trio of automatic qualifiers. Werro ran the fastest time in four decades earlier this season, with her new personal best of 1:53.80 the third-fastest of all time, making her the favourite to take gold in Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium despite the presence of Olympic champion Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol. In the second semi-final Hodgkinson hit the front early with Broeders-Bol latching onto her shoulder, with the pair pulling away in the home straight. Italy’s Eloisa Coiro, who set a new national record in the first round, was the last of the automatic qualifiers. Switzerland’s Valentina Rosamilia and France’s Clara Liberman complete the line-up for the final. Hodgkinson was asked by BBC Sport whether she had seen Werro’s fall. She said: “I heard a ‘oohhh’ [from the crowd] which is never a good sign; I don’t know what it looked like,” she said. “You can’t worry about what other people are doing [in your race]. It’s a real shame, I hope she’s okay and that she’s in the final tomorrow. “The depth was really good, another 1:57, overall happy, can’t complain. The excitement [for the women’s 800m] makes me excited, I love a good challenge, it brings out the best in me. “I hope for a clean race with no falling over. And no wind please, I'm going to talk to an Esty witch to make sure there's no wind,” she smiled. Broeders-Bol meanwhile said seeing Werro fall had made her feel “extra cautious” in her semi. She said her plan had been to lead “from the front, either with Keely or in front of Keely, I think it worked out perfectly. “I saw it [the fall], I didn’t watch a replay because it often looks terrible. I hope she’s okay. It made me extra cautious.”