The Alexander Stadium in Birmingham played host to an electric, star-studded showdown, but it was Switzerland’s Audrey Werro who stole the show. In a masterclass of middle-distance running, the 22-year-old Swiss sensation denied Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson a historic third consecutive European 800m title, halting the Briton’s bid to become the first woman from her nation to capture a continental treble in the same event.
The race lived up to every ounce of its immense billing. Before a captivated sellout crowd of 23,000, the final crystallized into a blistering three-way battle for supremacy featuring Hodgkinson, Werro, and multi-talented Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol.
Werro, who produced a sensational championship record of 1:54.81 – the fastest run since a 43-year-old world record – proved uncatchable. Her victory was all the more remarkable given her harrowing semi-final spill just 24 hours earlier, after clipping heels with France’s Anais Bourgoin. Reinstated after a frantic recovery, the Swiss star showed nerves of steel.
Hodgkinson executed her classic tactical blueprint, letting Werro dictate the opening lap before launching her signature attack on the final bend. It was a mirror image of their clash in Stockholm earlier this summer, but Werro refused to relent, holding off the charging Briton to cross the line first. Hodgkinson claimed a hard-earned silver in 1:55.01 – her 12th major senior medal – while Broeders-Bol secured bronze in 1:55.54, capping off a remarkable transition from the 400m hurdles this season.
“I knew it was going to come down to the wire, but I really thought I was going to win today,” a gracious Hodgkinson admitted to the BBC after capturing her silver.
While the night belonged to Switzerland’s new middle-distance queen, the gripping 800-meter final ultimately signalled something much larger for global track and field: the dawn of an elite, generational rivalry. With Hodgkinson’s fierce competitive drive, Werro’s blistering record-breaking speed, and Broeders-Bol’s meteoric rise on the track, these three extraordinary athletes have firmly established a new “big three.”
As the athletics world looks ahead to next year’s World Championships, this thrilling Birmingham classic made one thing unmistakably clear. The women’s 800m belongs to Hodgkinson, Werro, and Broeders-Bol – and their impending global battles promise to define the sport for years to come.