Keely Hodgkinson secured a silver medal in the women’s 800m final in Birmingham, as Audrey Werro of Switzerland claimed the gold. The event, a highlight of the championships, saw a three-way contest involving Hodgkinson, Werro, and Femke Broeders-Bol from the Netherlands, playing out before a sold-out crowd of 23,000 at Alexander Stadium.
Hodgkinson, the Olympic champion, was aiming for her third consecutive European title in the event. Despite strong support from the home crowd, she was unable to overtake Werro in the final stages of the race. Werro, who has been noted for becoming the fastest athlete in the event since the world record was established 43 years ago, delivered a strong finish to earn her first senior international title. She completed the race in a championship record of one minute 54.81 seconds, while Hodgkinson finished in 1:55.01.
Reflecting on her performance, Hodgkinson expressed mixed emotions. She acknowledged that any medal at this level of competition is a significant achievement and a valuable addition to her collection. However, as the defending champion, she had aimed for victory. Hodgkinson stated that she believed she would win and that she did not make any errors, describing it as simply one of those outcomes.
The silver medal marks Hodgkinson’s 12th senior international medal since she first medalled as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years prior. During the race, Hodgkinson allowed Werro to lead on the initial lap before attempting to make her move on the final bend. This tactic mirrored a previous encounter in Stockholm in June, where Werro had also prevailed. However, Werro maintained her lead, preventing Hodgkinson from closing the gap.
Hodgkinson’s silver medal contributed to the British team’s total, which reached 10 medals over five days. This achievement came approximately 20 minutes after Zharnel Hughes secured a silver medal in the men’s 200m. Despite these successes, Italy has taken the lead in the medal table with five gold medals, surpassing the host nation’s four.
Werro’s Path to Gold
Werro’s victory is particularly notable given a fall she experienced in her semi-final on Thursday. Replays indicated that France’s Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro’s right foot, causing her to fall. Despite clutching her chest in pain as she crossed the finish line, Werro was later reinstated into the final, facing a challenge to recover in time for the main event.
The incident led to a final with 10 athletes. While Briton Jemma Reekie made efforts, the gold medal appeared to be contested primarily by three athletes. Hodgkinson had previously defeated Werro twice during the indoor season, including securing her first world title. However, Werro surprised her at the Stockholm Diamond League earlier this summer, where she achieved the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983.
Hodgkinson, who earned her first major outdoor title at the European Championships in 2022 and retained it in Rome two years ago, had expressed determination to prevent a repeat of the Stockholm result. However, Werro’s win thwarted Hodgkinson’s attempt to become the first British woman to achieve three consecutive European titles in the same event. Werro’s performance suggests she will be a significant competitor in athletics in the coming years.
Looking ahead, Hodgkinson can also anticipate continued strong competition from Broeders-Bol, who finished third in 1:55.54. Broeders-Bol’s rapid progress since transitioning events this season, having previously been a two-time world 400m hurdles champion, indicates she will be a contender for World Championship gold next year.
Other British Performances
Before the women’s 800m final, Zharnel Hughes competed in the men’s 200m final. He led coming off the bend but was ultimately overtaken by Germany’s Owen Ansah, who secured victory in 19.95 seconds. Hughes, a world 100m bronze medallist in 2023, entered the championships as the fastest European this year, having set a season’s best of 20.04 seconds at Alexander Stadium when winning the British title in June.
Ansah matched Hughes’s season’s best with a personal-best run in the semi-finals before improving further in the final. Hughes, the British record-holder, earned silver with a time of 20.16 seconds. In the men’s high jump final, British athletes Kimani Jack and Joel Clarke-Khan finished fourth and fifth respectively after failing to clear 2.27m. Additionally, Megan Keith placed eighth in the women’s 10,000m final.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson concluded the first day of the heptathlon in 16th position overall. She expressed contentment with her participation following a challenging season marked by injuries. Johnson-Thompson had cleared 1.83m in the high jump earlier in the day, moving her to tenth in the heptathlon rankings. Her season has been significantly affected by injuries, making this only her second appearance since winning bronze at the World Championships last September.
The Birmingham crowd provided a strong reception for Johnson-Thompson during her introduction for the 200m event. She highlighted her appreciation for the home crowd and the effort required to reach the starting line, noting that injuries had prevented her from undertaking sufficient preparation. The atmosphere in Birmingham for the evening’s events was nearly at full capacity.
Source: bbc.co.uk
