Werro stuns Hodgkinson ith third-fastest 800m run of all time

Audrey Werro ran the third-fastest women’s 800 metres of all time to stun Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday.

The rising Swiss athletics star, 22, clocked an incredible 1:53.98, breaking the eight-year-old Diamond League record of Caster Semenya.
Werro outsprinted Hodgkinson on the home straight, with the Brit bettering her own national record of 2024 with a time of 1:54.33 in her first outdoor 800m race of the season.

Werro, who claimed silver behind Hodgkinson at the World Indoor Championships in March, improved her previous personal best of 1:55.91 by nearly two seconds.

It was also the fastest women’s 800m time in 43 years, since Jarmila Kratochvilova set the world record of 1:53.28 – something that will now be firmly in the sights of both Werro and Hodgkinson. “I am still in shock at this performance!” admitted Werro.

“It was a big day for me because it was my first win in the Diamond League with Keely. It’s been a goal for me just to finish in front of her because I know she’s really fast. “It’s really crazy, I need some time to process what just happened now, but I am so happy with my time and everything.”

Hodgkinson, meanwhile, will now turn her attention to breaking the world record in London next month – and then taking on Werro at the European Championships in Birmingham in August.

“Massive respect to Audrey, that was incredible racing from her and she helped me to run faster today,” said the 24-year-old Paris 2024 gold medallist.

“I was glad of her pushing me throughout the race and then fighting me to the line at the end – but I won’t let that happen again!

“The European Champs will be such a great battle between us and it’s so fun to be a part of such an exciting time for 800m running.

“She’s getting the best out of me and I still believe in myself – the world record is still my goal in London next month, I still believe I can do it.”