Keely Hodgkinson secured silver in the 800m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Friday evening, finishing behind Switzerland's Audrey Werro. Speaking to Citius Mag after the race, the 24-year-old opened with a playful jibe about the interview setup: "You guys need to get selfie lights, just saying!"
Hodgkinson's Race and Reaction
Hodgkinson, who won Olympic gold in Paris two years ago and silver in Tokyo 2020, clocked 1:55.01 for her third European Championships medal. She said she could not be too disappointed given how the race unfolded: "I've had a bit of time to think about it. I think when you've not really put a foot wrong and it was a great race and it was really close, I can't really be too disappointed."
She added: "I think overall I'm probably a bit better than that time-wise. I fought to the end and thought I was going to have it in the last 50 metres. But ultimately she [Werro] just had more and that is just it."
Werro's Record-Breaking Win
Werro's victory was all the more remarkable given her dramatic fall in Thursday's semi-final. She was reinstated after an appeal for an expanded 10-runner final, with footage showing accidental interference. In the final, Werro led from the front and shattered a 44-year-old championship record with 1:54.81.
The Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol took bronze in 1:55.54, equalling the Dutch national record. Hodgkinson, the world indoor champion and record holder, remained in good spirits throughout the interview, responding to a question about changing her race with: "No, would you?" and adding, "What do you think I could've done better? No, I think I did everything I could and I covered every move right but she was just very strong today."
