Keely Hodgkinson is aiming to make history at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. The British Olympic champion is chasing a third consecutive European 800m gold medal. If she succeeds, she would become the first British woman to win the same individual event three times at the European Championships.Hodgkinson has already won European titles in 2022 and 2024. Now, she faces a strong challenge from Swiss star Audrey Werro and Dutch athlete Femke Bol. Despite her Olympic success, Hodgkinson insists the chance to win gold in front of a home crowd would be just as special as her triumph in Paris.
Keely Hodgkinson eyes historic third European title ahead of European Athletics Championships in Birmingham
The women’s 800m is expected to be one of the biggest races of the championships. Keely Hodgkinson enters the competition as the reigning Olympic champion. However, she will not have everything her own way.Werro has emerged as one of the biggest threats to Hodgkinson. The Swiss runner stunned Hodgkinson at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting in June. Werro won the race in 1:53.98, while Hodgkinson set a British record of 1:54.33.Werro then improved her personal best again in Paris three weeks later. She clocked 1:53.80 and strengthened her position as one of the leading 800m runners in the world.Hodgkinson, however, is not treating her Stockholm defeat as a setback. She believes the race showed how quickly the competition in the event is developing.The British star told Athletics Weekly that she is excited by the challenge and feels ready to compete. She admitted that June and July had been difficult at times, but added that she now feels in a strong place.Hodgkinson also pointed out that her Stockholm performance was still the fastest race of her career. She improved the British record by 0.28 seconds and believes that achievement should not be overlooked simply because she finished second.The 24-year-old also knows that championship racing can produce unexpected results. She recalled entering the Tokyo Olympics as the eighth-ranked athlete and leaving with a silver medal. On other occasions, she had started as the favourite but failed to win.That experience has taught Hodgkinson to approach major championships as a fresh challenge. She believes rankings and previous results do not always decide what happens on the track.A third European title would carry huge significance for the British runner. Hodgkinson said having her family in the stands and potentially hearing the British national anthem at a home championship would make the moment extremely special.She considers a European title almost as valuable as her Olympic success in Paris. For now, though, her focus remains on executing her own race rather than worrying about her rivals.The 800m heats are scheduled for Tuesday, with the semi-finals on Thursday. The final will take place on Friday evening.With Hodgkinson, Werro and Bol all in strong form, the women’s 800m could become one of the defining races of the Birmingham championships.
