Switzerland’s Audrey Werro powered her way to 800m gold over Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson to close out the fifth day of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Friday at Alexander Stadium.
Werro was dominant from the start just a day after overcoming a fall in the women’s 800m seminfinal, but held steady in the showdown to decide the title and never surrendered her lead. On the final lap she surged away from a charging Hodgkinson to win in 1:53.81, a new championship record.
“I knew I could be European champion one day,” Werro said. I hope to be faster and faster next year. When I was a child, my dad used to tell me I have to be a lion. I shouldn’t be shy and let other athletes go past me so I decided to do a celebration with that when I crossed the line.”
Hodgkinson took silver in 1:55.01 while Femke Broeders-Bol finished third in 1:55.54 for The Netherlands.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti won the women’s 10,000m for her second gold of the championships in a dominant 31:41.17 performance just days after claiming the 5,000m title. Battocletti settled into a tactical race with the bulk of the field, which began to loosen with just under seven laps remaining.
But that the bell lap, Battocletti decided to make her decisive move with Maureen Koster of the Netherlands and Belgium’s Jana van Lent staying close. On the final 200 meters, Battocletti leaned into an aggressive kick that was enough to open a gap as she took the win with Koster finishing second in 31:45.76 as van Lent took bronze in 31:47.81.
“There was a lot of wind. and I needed to be careful,” Battocletti said. The secret to the 10,000m is calmness and patience and when I felt up to it, I increased my pace. It’s perhaps the sharpest change I’ve ever made. The 5,000m gave me a real kick.”
Battocletti’s teammate Gianmarco Tambieri won the men’s high jump as he cleared 2.32m over Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk (2.30m) and fellow Italian countryman Matteo Sioli (2.27m). In the women’s women’s discus, Jorinde van Klinken tossed a 67.67m winning throw for the gold for the Netherlands ahead of Germany’s Shanice Craft (65.72m) and Sweden’s Vanessa Kamga (64.61m).
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Norway’s Karsten Warholm picked up his second gold with a 46.63 championship record victory, soaring past Germany’s Emil Agyekum (47.87) and Turkey’s Ismail Nezir (48.26). Warholm helped power his team’s 4x400m mixed relay to gold on Monday.
In the men’s 200m, Germany’s Owen Ansah roared to a 19.95 win over Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (20.16) while Italy’s Eseosa Fostine Desalu and Switzerland’s Timothé Mumenthaler both shared bronze with a pair of 20.26 efforts in a photo finish that showed they crossed the line at the same tie.
Day 5 Results
Women’s 10,000m
1. Nadia Battocletti (Italy) – 31:41.17
2. Maureen Koster (Netherlands) – 31:45.76
3. Jana van Lent (Belgium) – 31:47.81
Men’s High Jump
1. Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) – 2.32m
2. Oleh Doroshchuk (Ukraine) – 2.30m
3. Matteo Sioli (Italy) – 2.27m
Women’s Discus
1. Jorinde van Klinken (Netherlands) – 67.67m
2. Shanice Craft (Germany) – 65.72m
3. Vanessa Kamga (Sweden) – 64.61m
Men’s 400m Hurdles
1. Karsten Warholm (Norway) – 46.63
2. Emil Agyekum (Germany) – 47.87
3. Ismail Nezir (Turkey) – 48.26
Men’s 200m
1. Owen Ansah (Germany) – 19.95
2. Zharnel Hughes (Great Britain) – 20.16
3. Eseosa Fostine Desalu (Italy) – 20.26
3. Timothé Mumenthaler (Switzerland) – 20.26
Women’s 800m
1. Audrey Werro (Switzerland) – 1:54.81
2. Keely Hodgkinson (Great Britain) – 1:55.01
3. Femke Broeders-Bol (Netherlands) – 1:55.54
