Switzerland’s Audrey Werro admitted she surprised herself after defeating Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in the 800 metres at the Stockholm Diamond League, clocking the third-fastest time ever recorded in the event.
The 22-year-old crossed the finish line in one minute 53.98 seconds on Sunday, becoming only the third woman in history to break the 1:54 barrier. Britain’s Hodgkinson finished second in a personal-best 1:54.33.
“This is crazy. I need time to process this,” Werro told Olympics.com in comments published on Monday. “This is becoming more real and, to be honest, it is a bit scary. I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.”
The victory marked Werro’s first Diamond League win over Hodgkinson, who won Olympic gold in Paris and has established herself as the dominant force in the event in recent years.
“It was a big day for me because it was my first win in the Diamond League with Keely,” Werro said. “It has been a goal of mine just to finish in front of her because I know she’s really fast.”
Werro said her race unfolded differently from her original plan, which had been to sit behind the leaders and follow Hodgkinson’s pace.
“Instead, I was thinking of staying in third position and letting her go in front,” she said. “But I went so fast at the beginning that I was just behind her, so I said to myself, ‘I’m going to step forward bravely, change the process and see what happens.'”
The result thrusts Werro into the conversation surrounding one of athletics’ most enduring records. Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova’s world record of 1:53.28, set in 1983, remains the oldest standing record in track and field.
Hodgkinson has previously stated her ambition to challenge that mark, and Werro acknowledged the possibility had also crossed her mind, though she expected such goals to remain further in the future.
“A year ago, it was in my goals, in my dreams to think of the world record,” Werro said. “I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, but it is now very exciting for me.”
With both Werro and Hodgkinson producing historic performances in Stockholm, the long-standing world record may soon come under renewed pressure.
