British Olympic gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson believes the women's 800 metres will be the "race of the championships" at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Hodgkinson is set to face Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who beat her in Stockholm in June and has since recorded a world-leading time of one minute, 53.80 seconds.
The Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol, a prominent 400m hurdler, will also compete, holding the third-fastest time this season. Both Hodgkinson and Werro have stated their aim to break Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 43-year-old world record.
Hodgkinson, 24, stated she will focus on controlling her own race, despite not knowing what her competitors will do. She also expressed that defending her European title for a second time on home soil would be almost as significant as an Olympic win.
French record-holder Anais Bourgoin completes a quartet of European athletes who have run under one minute, 56 seconds this year. Hodgkinson's training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell, who also achieved this feat, is focusing on the 1500m event.