Swiss rival Audrey Werro has claimed the European 800m gold medal in Birmingham, with Britain's Keely Hodgkinson settling for silver. Werro, who had been the favourite before a semi-final fall, overtook Hodgkinson early in the race and maintained her lead to win in a championship-record time of one minute and 54.81 seconds. The Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol secured the bronze medal.
Hodgkinson, an Olympic champion, expressed her feelings after the race, stating, “We’re all going to win some, lose some. S*** happens.” She acknowledged Werro's performance, adding, “Audrey fell over yesterday, she did amazing to bounce back. I know what that took out of me a few weeks ago. So yeah, incredible to her. And, yeah, life goes on. I’ll go back and train, and just hope I get it next time.”
The Alexander Stadium saw a capacity crowd for the highly anticipated race. Earlier in the championships, Zharnel Hughes also secured a silver medal for Britain in the men’s 200m final, finishing behind Germany’s Owen Ansah.