Audrey Werro won the women’s 800 metres at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham in a championship-record 1:54.81.
The Swiss runner led a high-quality final at Alexander Stadium and held off Britain’s Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson. The result made Werro the first woman to break 1:55 in the history of the European Athletics Championships.
Her winning time also lowered the championship record that had stood since 1982. Hodgkinson took silver, while Femke Bol—competing in the event after moving from the hurdles—earned bronze in 1:55.54.
The 800 metres combines tactical positioning with a very fast final lap. Werro’s victory was especially notable because she had reached the final only after advancing from a dramatic semifinal in which she fell during the race but was reinstated by the referee.