Keely Hodgkinson vs Audrey Werro showdown at 2026 European Athletics Championships, Birmingham; could become three-time European outdoor champion

Keely Hodgkinson on Audrey Werro showdown at 2026 European Athletics Championships: “It’ll bring out the best in me”

The Olympic champion opens up on facing 800m rivals Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol in the “race of the championships” in Birmingham, as she bids to win her first major title on home soil.

Keely Hodgkinson has already achieved much of what athletics has to offer.

Still only 24, the British 800m star has won gold at the Olympic Games , World Indoor Championships and European Championships, and has also broken a world indoor record.

Hodgkinson, however, has yet to claim a major title on home soil – something she can put right at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, which get underway on Monday (10 August).

“I’m really excited to experience the UK crowd at the Europeans,” admits the Paris 2024 gold medallist, who claimed silver in her only other major event at home, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“I don’t really see it as pressure. I just see it as more of a motivation. There’s going to be a lot of my family there being able to support and that’s always really nice.

“Hopefully I’m able to stand on top of the podium and have a national anthem in the UK. I think that would be incredibly special.

“I think it would mean just as much to me as winning in Paris.”

Hodgkinson certainly has a formidable record in the continental competition.

In her four previous European Championships appearances, indoor and out, she has won gold each time.

“Winning the Europeans is very important to me this year because it’ll be my fifth title, indoors and out,” says Hodgkinson, in an interview with reporters ahead of Birmingham 2026.

“That is five years of work. That is five years of turning up to every championships and winning, and it’s really hard to stay that consistent.”

Birmingham also offers Hodgkinson the chance to become the first British woman to win the same European individual outdoor event three times.

“That would be really cool,” she adds. “A cool little stat. Thanks for telling me!”

2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham: Mondo Duplantis, Keely Hodgkinson, Jakob Ingebrigtsen lead stars in action – how to watch live

Women’s 800m Final | Athletics | Olympic Games Paris 2024

The Women’s 800m Final took place at Stade de France, on 05

Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) won Gold with a time of 1:56.72. Tsige Duguma (ETH) took Silver and Mary Moraa (KEN) completed the podium.

Keely Hodgkinson: “It’s going to be the race of the championships”

In her most recent appearances at the European Championships, Hodgkinson has arrived as the overwhelming favourite. At Rome 2024, her personal best was more than three seconds faster than the rest of the field.

This time, though, things are rather different, with Swiss star Audrey Werro heading to Birmingham as the fastest woman in the world this year.

In fact, the quickest five female 800m runners in 2026 are all from Europe, namely Werro, Hodgkinson, Femke Broeders-Bol , Anaïs Bourgoin , and Georgia Hunter Bell , although the latter is only running the 1500m in Birmingham.

“I think it’ll bring out the best in me,” insists Hodgkinson.

“It’s really interesting to look at two years ago and how the standard in Europe has come on. But I think it’s really exciting.

“It just means that a European title is just as important and just as fun as a world title at this point.

“I’ve had lots of people come around and challenge me and I’ve always been there. I’m proud to have always been in that top segment. I’ve medalled at every single championships.

“It’s really great to have the women’s 800m as the spotlight and everyone getting behind us and wanting us to run fast.

“It’s going to be the race of the championships. I think it’s going to be really fun.”

Keely Hodgkinson was beaten by Audrey Werro at the Stockholm Diamond League in June

In their only head-to-head outdoors so far this year, Werro beat Hodgkinson at the Stockholm Diamond League in June .

The 22-year-old’s time of 1:53.98 was the third-fastest women’s 800m in history, and the quickest since Jarmila Kratochvilova set the world record 43 years ago.

But Hodgkinson also broke her own British record in that race, finishing second in 1:54.33 .

“I don’t really think I did anything wrong in that race,” reflects Hodgkinson, who beat Werro to gold at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland in March.

“I didn’t know what she was capable of at that point. I think that just shows you can’t underestimate anybody.

“If you look at all our other head-to-heads, you wouldn’t have thought she was going to hang on.

“But it was my opening race. I think people are trying to make me feel like it was a failure and it really wasn’t.

“That was a British record. It was my fastest time ever and I’m going to remind myself of that because I’m proud of that.”

Asked about her relationship with Werro, Hodgkinson adds: “I haven’t really spent too much time with Audrey.

“She’s two years younger than me. She was coming up. She ran a lot of the junior races, but I’ve been aware of her for years.

“I think she’s been a really good athlete that has come through and she’s looking really strong. Good for her.”

Hodgkinson has a closer relationship with Broeders-Bol, who has won two Olympic bronze medals in the 400m hurdles, but has switched to the 800m this year, and has already clocked 1:55.60 .

“Audrey’s come on really well, Femke’s running well, it’s going to be a really good run,” she says.

Does Hodgkinson still consider herself the world No. 1? “Yes, I still believe I’m very much capable of that,” she replies.

Keely Hodgkinson beat Femke Broeders-Bol to win the London Diamond League in July

Cutting her knees in freak fall

Hodgkinson has competed over 800m just three times this summer – at the Diamond League meets in Stockholm, Eugene and London.

Before the Eugene race, however, Hodgkinson’s season suffered a setback, when she badly cut her knees following a heavy fall in training.

“I had a fight with a metal grate!” she says. “I just fell over. It was just a freak accident.

“I was just cooling down after training. There was a metal mesh on the floor to stop people slipping, and there was a corner sticking up.

“I tripped up and my knees went straight into it. It took chunks out of both knees. It wasn’t pretty at all.”

Running through the pain barrier, Hodgkinson could only finish second at the Prefontaine Classic in 1:56.73.

Two weeks later, she won in London in 1:56.21 , but she had originally hoped to target the world record in that race.

Now, though, she insists she is fully fit and ready to go for gold in Birmingham.

“My knees are healed,” adds Hodgkinson. “They finally feel good. I took the tape off earlier this week, which is a positive.

“I’ve got some fat scars but they’re all fine. I didn’t miss any training or anything. It was more just like there was just a lot of pain and inflammation.

“At this level, when you’re running against these girls, if you’re limping or your back’s out, all these little fine margins can affect your performance.

“But that’s how it was a few weeks ago. I’m looking forward to putting that behind me.

“I feel in a good place. I’m happy and I’m excited to compete.”

Picture by Thomas Windestam for Diamond League AG

Athletics | European Championships | Birmingham | United Kingdom