BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) 鈥� Swiss star Audrey Werro was given a spot in the 800-meter final after falling in her semifinal at the European championships Thursday.
The ruling keeps Werro on course for Friday night’s gold medal showdown with Keely Hodgkinson and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol.
Werro was leading her heat at Alexander Stadium when she fell. Footage showed Anais Bourgoin’s left hand making contact with Werro’s right foot before Werro tumbled on the last bend.
In late June, Werro ran the ever: 1 minute, 53.80 seconds.
After Thursday’s fall, she got up and jogged across the line in 2:35.35. She appealed her placing and was successfully advanced to the final.
She said, 鈥淓verything was good and suddenly I was on the ground. I just have some scratches and my bib number was ripped off but I鈥檓 OK. The body is fine.鈥�
Hodgkinson, the Briton who has frequently talked about wanting to break the 800 world record, won the other semifinal heat in 1:57.38, just ahead of Broeders-Bol, who has impressed in her first year in the 800 after .
The women鈥檚 800 world record of 1:53:28 was set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova.
___
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
