Disaster struck 2026 world leader Audrey Werro, who has broken the 1:54-barrier twice this year, in the semifinals of the women’s 800m at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Thursday (13).
Werro took a heavy tumble in the first semifinal, but was later given a reprieve by the referee to take her place in Friday's (14) final.
In summary
• World leader Werro crashes to track in first semi final with 150m to go
• Olympic champion Hodgkinson wins second semi final in 1:57.38
• Broeders-Bol tracks Olympic champion in second with 1:57.46
Werro held the inside line of a deeply bunched field through the 600m mark in 1:28.52 before disaster befell the long-striding Swiss athlete who tripped and suddenly found herself splayed on the ground.
As the field swept past the stricken Swiss athlete, Jemma Reekie battled to victory in the first semifinal in 1:58.61 ahead of France’s Anais Bourgoin (1:58.84) and Switzerland’s Veronica Vancardo (1:59.14).
Werro seemed winded by the fall but she still had the presence of mind to get up and jog across the finish-line in 2:35.35. “I was feeling really great but unfortunately something happened and I was just on the ground,” she said.
This isn’t the first time Werro has fallen in a major event. She also fell in the final of the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn last March.
After a dramatic wait, she was later given the benefit of the doubt by the referee, as was Lithuania's Gabija Galvydyte who was also caught up in the melee of the first semifinal. It means tem athletes will line up in Friday's final.
Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol had a much more event-free passage. First and second at the bell in 57.71, the two protagonists came home in that order in 1:57.38 and 1:57.46 respectively.
“I hope she’s OK and she’ll be in the final tomorrow,” said Hodgkinson when asked about Werro’s fall in her post-race interview.
Italy’s Eloisa Coiro, who broke the 46-year-old national record in the heats, broke the 1:58-barrier again with a 1:57.74 to secure the third qualifying spot.
German duo ease through 3000m steeplechase heats
The men’s 3000m steeplechase heats were altogether more routine with German medal favourites Frederik Ruppert and Karl Bebendorf both cantering through to Sunday’s final.
European record-holder Ruppert was content to finish third in the first heat in 8:35.46 and Bebendorf was equally expedient with his energy levels, cruising to sixth place in 8:35.26 in heat two.