Keely Hodgkinson, the leading figure in British athletics, has finished second in the 800-meter final at the European Championships, yielding her title to Swiss runner Audrey Werro. The race, held in Birmingham, saw Werro clock a championship record of 1:54.81, just 0.2 seconds ahead of Hodgkinson.
This marks the second time in ten weeks that Hodgkinson has finished behind Werro. The 24-year-old Olympic champion, who was vying for her third consecutive European title, expressed disappointment with the silver medal result, stating she would have preferred gold. "I think I would be happier with a gold," Hodgkinson said in a post-race interview. "I really thought I was going to win today. But it wasn't meant to be."
Despite the setback, Hodgkinson acknowledged the strength of the competition and the achievement of securing another medal for her collection. "I think with that level of competition, any medal is a really good achievement and another one to add to my collection so I can never be disappointed with that," she added.
Werro, 22, has shown a significant upward trend in performance, notably beating Hodgkinson with a personal best of 1:53.98 in Stockholm in June, a time that was then the third quickest in history. She improved further with a 1:53.80 a month later. Hodgkinson, who set her personal best of 1:54.33 in the same Stockholm race, has been in strong form herself this season, including setting an indoor world record in February.
The rivalry between Hodgkinson and Werro is expected to continue, with both athletes aiming to break the long-standing world record of 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in the 1980s. "I am sure we will have more battles," Hodgkinson commented.
Werro's path to the final included an appeal after being tripped in her semi-final, a successful challenge that ultimately led to her competing and winning the gold medal. The emergence of Werro as a consistent challenger presents a new dynamic for Hodgkinson as she continues her athletic career.