Hodgkinson beaten to European gold by rival Werro
Keely Hodgkinson is forced to settle for European silver as Switzerland's Audrey Werro denies the Briton a third consecutive title in a thrilling 800m final.
In a thrilling women's 800m final at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, Australian Keely Hodgkinson was denied a third consecutive European title by Switzerland's Audrey Werro. The highly anticipated event, which drew a sellout crowd of 23,000, saw Hodgkinson, Werro and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in a fierce battle for supremacy.
Hodgkinson, the defending champion and Olympic champion, was roaring on in pursuit of Werro but could not overtake her in the closing stages. Werro, who had become the fastest athlete since the world record was set 43 years ago, finished strong to claim her first senior international title with a championship record time of 1:54.81.
Hodgkinson, who had hoped for a medal, accepted her silver as her 12th senior international medal, stating that any medal is a good achievement. Werro's triumph was all the more impressive given she suffered a fall in her semi-final, but she still managed to compete in the final. Hodgkinson vowed not to allow the same thing to happen again, and Broeders-Bol, who came in third, is expected to improve with World Championship gold up for grabs next year.
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