Keely Hodgkinson removed her medal after finishing second in the 800m final at the European Championships in Birmingham on Friday night. The Olympic and reigning European Champion clocked 1:55:01 but was pipped to the post by Swiss runner Audrey Werro.
Werro sets Championship record
Werro bounced back from a dramatic tumble in her semi-final to clock 1:54.81 and establish a new Championship record. Femke Broeders-Bol completed the podium and broke the Netherlands' national record, having recently switched from 400m to 800m.
Hodgkinson's emotional reaction
Speaking after the race, Hodgkinson took off her medal and told the BBC: "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."
She added: "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. 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 questioned about Werro's strategy of controlling the race from the start, Hodgkinson said: "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."
She concluded: "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." The 24-year-old said racing against such elite-level athletes brings out her finest performances, adding: "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."
