Werro's Historic Upset
Audrey Werro Stuns Keely Hodgkinson in Stockholm 800m with World-Leading, Historic Time
Anonymous
Swiss runner Audrey Werro won the women’s 800 meters at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday, beating Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in a world-leading 1:53.98 that was also the third-fastest time in history. Hodgkinson, competing outdoors for the first time this season in the event, set a new British record of 1:54.33 but still finished second, with Roisin Willis taking third in 1:57.56. Werro improved nearly two seconds off her prior best, pushing an early fast pace and regaining the lead late to hold off the British runner in a tight finish. The meeting also featured other notable shocks, including pole vault star Armand Duplantis losing for the first time in 40 competitions. Hodgkinson said she’s already using the result as motivation and expects to build on the performance as she targets major races later in the summer.
Key Points
1
Werro’s race included a very specific fast start: she set an opening lap pace of 55.54 seconds, then—despite losing the lead to Hodgkinson with about 300m remaining—rallied back past her on the home straight.
2
Hodgkinson said she was unsure about her 800m form after training adjustments toward 400m work, telling reporters: “I was a little bit apprehensive coming in, not quite knowing exactly where I was with the 800m, because we have been doing some 400 training and are going to put together the 800m now.”
3
The runner-up showing came just days after Hodgkinson ran a seventh-place 400m speed test in Rome at the Diamond League: she then returned to the 800m, where she set the UK record of 1:54.33.
4
One of the other major shocks was pole vault: Duplantis failed to clear 6.05m and was beaten by Kurtis Marschall, marking his first defeat in 40 events.
5
The Stockholm meet also included a notable British result beyond the 800m: British sprinter Amy Hunt set a personal best in the 200m but finished second to world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
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