Keely Hodgkinson secured her place in Friday's European 800m final on 13 August 2026, winning the second semi-final in one minute 57.38 seconds after rival Audrey Werro suffered a heavy fall on the final bend of the opening heat. Werro got up, finished last while clutching her chest, but was later reinstated to the final field after a successful appeal, expanding the showpiece race to ten runners instead of nine.
The Swiss runner, who clocked the fastest 800m time in 43 years earlier this season, had led from the gun in the first semi-final before going down on the final bend. Footage appeared to show she clipped her own leg just before falling, yet officials upheld her appeal to compete in Friday's final. Lithuanian athlete Gabija Galvydyte, who was also caught up in the fall, was likewise advanced into the final alongside Werro.
What did Hodgkinson say about the fall?
Hodgkinson said she did not see the incident but sensed something had gone wrong from the crowd's reaction before her own race got under way.
I heard an 'ooh' [from the crowd] which is never a good sign. I don't know what it looked like.
Speaking before news of Werro's successful appeal emerged, Hodgkinson expressed sympathy for her rival and hope that she would still be fit to race.
Obviously it's a real shame and I hope she's OK.
I hope she's in the final tomorrow [Friday], that'd be a really exciting race.
According to the Mirror, Werro described the moments leading up to her collapse, saying she had been running well until disaster struck.
I was feeling really great until the last moment but unfortunately something happened and I was on the ground one second after
How did Hodgkinson win her semi-final?
Hodgkinson led from the start of the second semi-final and held off a fast-finishing Femke Broeders-Bol, a two-time world 400m hurdles champion who switched to the 800m this season, to book her final berth. Fellow Briton Jemma Reekie capitalised on the chaos in the first semi-final to win that heat outright, meaning both British athletes will contest Friday's final.
Why is this race generating so much attention?
The women's 800m has become the standout event of the championships because of the anticipated three-way contest between Hodgkinson, Werro and Broeders-Bol. Hodgkinson said the rivalry sharpens her own performance.
The excitement makes me excited. I can't wait to step out there. It brings out the best in me,
I love a good challenge. Hopefully it'll be a good race, a clean race, nobody falling over.
As reported by Olympics.com, the rivalry has an established history: Hodgkinson's season-best of 1:54.33, set in Stockholm, came in a race where Werro beat her. Werro's winning time in that Stockholm race, 1:53.98, is described as the third-fastest women's 800m ever run and the quickest since Jarmila Kratochvilova's world record was set 43 years earlier.
The build-up to this final was already well tracked; as noted in our earlier coverage, Hodgkinson, Werro and Broeders-Bol all advanced through their heats at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, setting up the anticipated showdown that unfolded in Thursday's semi-finals.
What happens next?
The women's 800m final is scheduled to take place on Friday 14 August 2026 at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, following Werro's successful appeal that turned it into a ten-athlete race, according to a national broadcaster's report. Coverage of the buildup, including details of the appeal process, was also carried by the Independent.
- Keely Hodgkinson won her 800m semi-final in 1:57.38 to reach Friday's final.
- Audrey Werro fell on the final bend of her semi-final but was reinstated to the final following a successful appeal.
- The final field expanded to ten athletes, including Lithuania's Gabija Galvydyte, who was affected by Werro's fall.
- Jemma Reekie won the first semi-final for Great Britain after the incident.
- The final is scheduled for Friday 14 August 2026 at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
