Keely Hodgkinson removed her silver medal after finishing second in the 800m final at the European Championships in Birmingham, as her hopes of retaining her title were dashed by Swiss runner Audrey Werro.
Narrow Defeat in Birmingham
The Olympic and reigning European champion recorded a time of 1:55.01, but was narrowly beaten by Werro, who clocked 1:54.81 to set a new Championship record. Werro had rebounded from a dramatic fall in her semi-final to claim victory.
Femke Broeders-Bol finished third, shattering the Netherlands' national record after recently transitioning from the 400m to the 800m.
Hodgkinson's Frustration
Hodgkinson's frustration was evident in a post-race interview, where she briefly removed her silver medal. Speaking to the BBC, she said: "I'm kidding, that was a joke. Yeah, a bit of mixed emotions. I think with that level of competition, any medal is a really good achievement. So another one to add to my collection. I can never be disappointed with that. But yeah, I'm defending champion, so I wanted to do that."
She added: "I knew it was going to come down to the wire. I really thought I was going to win today, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I didn't do anything wrong. It's just one of those things."
Looking Ahead
When asked about Werro's aggressive tactics, Hodgkinson responded: "I think there were so many different ways it could play out. It was all down to figuring out the first 100 metres. Audrey wanted to take it on. With that wind, I was happy to let her. But yeah, we're all really great athletes and I knew it was going to be close. I look forward to the next match-up."
Despite finishing second, the 24-year-old said competing against high-calibre athletes brings out her best. She said: "I've said all year it's really motivating to be in such a competitive event. I love it. I think it brings out the best in me. Championship racing is what it's all about. You don't know how it's going to go. Some people can have a good day. Some people can have a bad day. I had a pretty good day today, I think. It just didn't go the way that I wanted it to."
