Editor’s note: The Women’s 800 meters was absolutely, frigging fantastic. All three medalists are class acts, compete all out, and show respect to each other. It does not mean that athletes cannot be unhappy if they do not win, but, in my mind, athletes showing respect to their competitors is a good thing.
Werro wins women’s 800!
The race of the week lived up to its hype. I haven’t seen the official attendance figure, but the stadium looked packed – in stark contrast to earlier in the week. There was the controversy in the background: had Audrey Werro been tripped in the semi-final, or was it simply a race incident when 2 athletes came together, and one went down? Be that as it may, no one would have wanted the final without Werro.
The final was predictable in the sense that, from the gun, it was clear that one of Hodgkinson, Werro, or Bol would win. But which one? There was a gap of more than three seconds between 3rd and 4th.
Werro was in the lead at 20 meters and never lost the lead. We expected Hodgkinson to attack on the final straight; she probably did, but Werro was going too fast to be caught. Femke Broeders-Bol must have been left scratching her head after running a Dutch national record and still being off the pace. We should not write Bol off. When I spoke to her in Paris, she told me that he was still learning the 800 and that the biggest adjustment was positioning, given that he had spent her career up to that point running in an assigned lane.
The result was
1 Audrey Werro 1:54.81
2 Keely Hodgkinson 1:55.01
3 Femke Broeders-Bol 1:55.53
4 Gabija Galvydyte 1:59.12
Let’s also not read too much into the result; the margin, after all, was 0.2 seconds in a 2-lap race. At the same time, it was clearly no shock, as at the Stockholm Diamond League Keely had run a British national record of 1:54.33 and still finished second to Audrey’s own national record of 1:53.98.
How did the athletes see the race?
Werro: “It was not the best scenario to qualify like that [being reinstated after a fall]. It was just a little bit hard for me at this point as that fall was very dramatic in the semis. But I tried to convince myself that I have a second chance and I have to take it and do something great. Although it was hard to mentally recover from that, as it was not a proper qualification for me yesterday. I’m glad I had a second chance, and I just took it. There are so many Swiss fans here, and I’m so grateful for them encouraging me yesterday. It definitely gave me the energy for today. I was coming for the gold medal. It truly means a lot. I’m so happy with the finish of the race. Looking back at World U23S last year, I could not have imagined running that fast now, but I knew I could be European champion one day. I hope to be faster and faster next year. When I was a child, my dad used to tell me I have to be a lion. I shouldn’t be shy and let other athletes go past me, so I decided to do a celebration with that when I cross the line. I’ve been a full-time professional athlete for one year, so having more time to train, recover, and compete makes it easier for me to focus solely on the sport. That has been the biggest change for me this season”.
Hodgkinson: “I don’t think I have done anything wrong. I do not think I raced badly. I think I did everything right – it was just that final 50m. It was a great race to be part of, a great race for the crowd to watch. Great that all three of us could line up. I gave everything; it just wasn’t enough today. It was a great race, and I gave it my all. Going into that last 100m I really thought I could catch her but sometimes you just don’t have enough and that was the case today.
I am really proud of the battle I gave. I look forward to the next line-up. There will always be competitors coming along, and you don’t know when someone is going to have a breakthrough. I am proud of my consistency in staying competitive, continuing to fight, and adding more medals to my collection. We are both young (Werro and I), so we will have a great rivalry for years to come. We can keep challenging each ot
her. And Femke (Broeders Bol) is still learning the 800m, so it is going to be a competitive distance for years to come”.
Broeders-Bol: “This medal means a lot to me. It was such a cool race, and I really gave it my utmost to make sure I would get that medal today. Coming away with a medal after racing against some of the best in the world is amazing. Going into this race, I knew I was a medal contender, but you just never know what will happen on the day. When I stood on that start line, I felt my legs were ready, but I also thought, “Am I that fast?” Am I fast enough? Or will they be better? I really enjoyed today; it is amazing to see the progress I’m making, and I really enjoyed this championship. This medal definitely gives me a lot of confidence. I still feel I have a lot to learn for the 800m; I need to embrace the lactic a little more. Getting through heats and semis at my first champs was very different. To come away with a medal is amazing”.
As you read the comments of the three athletes, you cannot fail to see the grace, humility, and mutual respect. Three great athletes and three great people.
Keely added that with Diamond Leagues and the Ultimate Champs we have not seen the last of the rivalry this season. Personally, I can’t wait!
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