Hodgkinson denied European three-peat as Switzerland's Werro takes gold
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson had to settle for silver in the European Championships 800m final in Birmingham after Switzerland's Audrey Werro claimed her first senior international title.
Britain's Keely Hodgkinson missed out on a third straight European 800m title after being overtaken in the closing stages of a tightly contested final at a sold-out Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, watched by 23,000 spectators.
Switzerland's 22-year-old Audrey Werro crossed the line first in a championship record of 1:54.81, with Hodgkinson taking silver in 1:55.01. The Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol completed the podium in 1:55.54.
Werro's win came just days after she suffered a fall in her semi-final on Thursday, when France's Anais Bourgoin's hand clipped her foot. She was later reinstated to the final despite appearing to be in pain as she crossed the line.
Ten athletes lined up for the final, including Britain's Jemma Reekie, though the race for gold ultimately came down to three contenders.
Speaking afterwards, Hodgkinson described her emotions as mixed, saying that as defending champion she had aimed to retain her title, but acknowledged that any medal against such strong competition was a solid achievement.
Hodgkinson had beaten Werro twice during the indoor season, including at the World Indoor Championships, but was overtaken by the Swiss athlete at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting earlier this summer, where Werro became the first athlete since 1983 to break 1:54 for the distance.
Hodgkinson won her first major outdoor title at the 2022 European Championships and defended it in Rome two years later. This latest result means she was unable to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the event.
With Broeders-Bol - a two-time world 400m hurdles champion who switched to the 800m this season - also showing rapid progress, competition for next year's World Championship title is expected to intensify further.
