BIRMINGHAM, England: Keely Hodgkinson ran 1:57.28, the fastest time in Tuesday’s European 800m heats, as Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol reached the 2026 European Athletics Championships semifinals.
The Olympic champion controlled her first-round race at Alexander Stadium, according to official results. Hodgkinson won heat one ahead of Italy’s Eloisa Coiro, who set a national record of 1:57.56.
Switzerland’s Werro won heat three in 1:57.83. Britain’s Jemma Reekie qualified from the same race in 1:58.45.
Broeders-Bol won heat two in 1:59.96, BBC Sport reported. The two-time world 400m hurdles champion switched events this season.
Mehhn see the way the crowd exclaimed after Keely Hodgkinson was introduced. I felt it. Insane 🙆🙏 #Birmingham2026 #EuropeanAthletics pic.twitter.com/zATFNQYfAc
— Azeem (@A7_eem) August 11, 2026Hodgkinson told BBC Sport the race felt “very good” and “very comfortable” after setbacks earlier in her outdoor campaign.
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Werro entered Birmingham unbeaten outdoors after running 1:53.80 in Stockholm in June. That performance ranks third on the women’s 800m all-time list.
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Hodgkinson lowered her British record to 1:54.33 in the same race. Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 1983 world record remains 1:53.28.
The official timetable lists the women’s 800m semifinals for Thursday, August 13, at Alexander Stadium.
