Olympic Champion Keely Hodgkinson Takes on Audrey Werro at Weltklasse Zürich 2026
At the European Championships in Birmingham, on home soil for British Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, Swiss record holder Audrey Werro emerged victorious in a world-class 800m final. Now, the rematch is set: after defeating Hodgkinson in front of her home crowd, Werro will face the Briton again in just over a week's time at Weltklasse Zürich in the sold-out Letzigrund Stadium. This time, Hodgkinson will be looking for revenge on Werro's home turf.
Keely Hodgkinson boasts an impressive collection of titles over 800 metres. Among her achievements, the Briton won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024, claimed two European titles (2022 and 2024), and secured two World Championship silver medals. In 2026, she added the World Indoor title to her résumé. Just a few weeks earlier, she had delivered a historic performance in Liévin, clocking 1:54.87 to break the indoor world record from 2002 by almost a full second.
Hodgkinson has continued to produce outstanding performances outdoors this season and has developed a thrilling rivalry with Werro. In Stockholm, Hodgkinson ran a personal best and British record of 1:54.33. Yet even that remarkable time was not enough for victory: Audrey Werro crossed the line first in 1:53.98, recording the third-fastest time in history. The result underlined the extraordinary level currently seen in women's 800m running and has brought Jarmila Kratochvílová's 43-year-old world record of 1:53.28 increasingly into focus.
The women's 800m at Weltklasse Zürich is more than just a rematch of the European Championship final. It will feature four reigning champions on the same start line. Alongside Olympic champion Hodgkinson and European champion Werro, reigning world champion Lilian Odira and European 1500m champion Georgia Hunter Bell are also set to compete. More about the field can be found here.
«With Keely Hodgkinson joining the list of challengers to Audrey Werro, our already exceptional women's 800m race gains even more excitement and drama. With the world's best athletes currently competing at this distance, including Femke Broeders-Bol, we can look forward to a truly outstanding race,» says Co-Meeting Director Andreas Hediger.
