Hodgkinson beaten to European gold by rival Werro

Keely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for European silver after being beaten by Switzerland's Audrey Werro in the women's 800m final at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium. The eagerly anticipated race saw Hodgkinson, Werro, and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in a thrilling finish with a sellout crowd of 23,000. Hodgkinson, the defending champion, sought to reassert her dominance but was unable to overtake Werro in the final stages.

Werro, who became the fastest athlete since the world record was set 43 years ago, finished strong to secure her first senior international title in a championship record time of 1:54.81 seconds. Hodgkinson, who had twice beat Werro during the indoor season, expressed mixed emotions about the result, acknowledging that any medal was a good achievement but also noting her desire to win the title.

Werro's victory was particularly impressive considering her fall in the semi-finals, which she managed to recover from. British record-holder Jemma Reekie also took silver in the men's 200m final, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson struggled in the heptathlon.