Keely Hodgkinson came up just short of a coveted European 800 metres title hat-trick after Swiss favourite Audrey Werro won their hotly-anticipated showdown in Birmingham as the British Olympic champion settled for silver.
The Briton started quicker, but was overtaken by Werro on the back straight and could not be caught after the first 200m.
Double-defending champion Hodgkinson was just behind as they rounded the final bend, but Werro maintained her advantage to cross the finish in a championship record of one minute, 54.81 seconds.
Hodgkinson claimed silver in 1min 55.01secs and the Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol took bronze in a national record 1:55.54.
“A bit of mixed emotions. I think with that level of competition any medal is a good achievement, so another one to add to my collection,” Hodgkinson told the BBC.
“I can never be disappointed with that, but I am defending champion so I wanted to do that.
“I knew it was going to come down to the wire and I really thought I was going to win today, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just one of those things.”
Werro, who like Hodgkinson is targeting the 43-year-old women’s 800m world record, has enjoyed a spectacular season, flawless outdoors before beating Hodgkinson in Stockholm to move third on the women’s 800m all-time list, then lowered her personal best to 1:53.80 in late June in Paris.
But the 22-year-old Swiss athlete’s fitness was uncertain after a hard fall in her semi-final and her controversial reinstatement to the final following an appeal.
The incident also took down Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte, who was also reinstated, making it a 10-woman final.
Two-time world 400m hurdles champion Broeders-Bol entered Birmingham with just four professional 800m races under her belt, having debuted at the Ostrava Golden Spike in June and was a dark horse.
With Anais Bourgoin, who set a new French record that same month, also in the mix, the final featured the four fastest women at 800m this year. The fifth, Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter Bell, is focusing on the 1500m in Birmingham.
Werro had enjoyed a smooth season until her semi-final fall, whereas Hodgkinson’s had taken a very different trajectory.
That Stockholm shock was Hodgkinson’s first race of an outdoor season that got off to a delayed start due to a hamstring issue. Despite the defeat, the Briton still lowered her own national record to 1:54.33.
She then tearfully pulled out of the 400m final at the British trials with hamstring tightness and had a freak fall of her own before the Prefontaine Classic.
It resulted in cuts and swelling so severe she said she could not even walk for a few days.
“I’ve said all year it’s really motivating to be in such a competitive event. I love it, I think it brings out the best in me,” Hodgkinson added. Championship racing that’s what it’s all about, you don’t know how it’s going to go and some people can have a good day or a bad day.
“I think I had a pretty good day today but it just didn’t go how I wanted it to.”
Earlier, Zharnel Hughes had to settle for silver in the men’s 200m final after he was overtaken by Owen Ansah in the final quarter.
Ansah became the first German to dip under 20 seconds as he clinched gold with a time of 19.95, while Hughes followed him home in 20.16s and the bronze medal was shared by Fausto Desalu and Timothe Mumenthaler.
Ansah is a controversial winner as he faces possible sanctions by the National Anti Doping Agency of Germany for alleged whereabouts failures, but the German has denied any wrongdoing.
Hughes’ silver takes Great Britain to 10 medals in Birmingham, joint-most with Italy, who are top of the table with five golds to the host’s four.
PA
