Keely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for silver at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, as Swiss challenger Audrey Werro denied the Briton a third consecutive title in a dramatic 800m final. The event, which drew a sellout crowd of 23,000 to Alexander Stadium, lived up to its billing as a high-stakes showdown between Hodgkinson, 22-year-old Werro, and Dutch athlete Femke Broeders-Bol.
Werro, who has established herself as the fastest athlete in the event since the world record was set 43 years ago, secured her first major international victory with a championship record time of one minute 54.81 seconds. Despite the home crowd’s support, Olympic champion Hodgkinson could not overcome her rival in the final stretch. Hodgkinson, who allowed Werro to lead the opening lap, attempted a move on the final bend—a tactical reversal of their meeting in Stockholm this past June—but the Swiss runner maintained her pace to the finish.
For the 24-year-old Hodgkinson, the silver medal marks her 12th senior international podium finish since her debut as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago. This performance also represents her fifth European medal across indoor and outdoor competition. Her time of 1:55.01 seconds contributed to the British team’s tally of 10 medals earned over the first five days of the home championships.
Earlier in the day, the British team also celebrated a silver medal from Zharnel Hughes in the men’s 200m. Hughes, the 2023 world 100m bronze medallist, held the lead coming off the final bend but was ultimately overtaken by Germany’s Owen Ansah, who claimed the gold in 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
