Audrey Werro Falls in 800m Semi-final, Impacting Final Prospects

What Happened

Swiss athlete Audrey Werro fell during the first semi-final of the women's 800m at the European Athletics Championships. Despite the fall, she managed to get up and finish the race. Officials are reviewing footage to determine if she was impeded by another competitor, which could lead to her inclusion in the final. Former world triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards commented that footage suggests Werro entangled her own legs, making an appeal for a place in the final unlikely.

Key Facts

• Swiss athlete Audrey Werro fell during the women's 800m semi-finals.
• Werro had previously run a time of 1:53.80 in the 800m, placing her close to the world record.
• The women's 800m world record is held by Jarmila Kratochvilova with 1:53.28, set in 1983.
• Keely Hodgkinson won the second semi-final with a time of 1:57.38.
• Femke Broers-Bol finished second in the second semi-final with 1:57.46.
• Eloisa Coiro secured third place in the second semi-final with 1:57.74.

Background

Audrey Werro and Keely Hodgkinson had been anticipated to contend for an explosive women's 800m final. Werro's performance of 1:53.80 this year is the closest any athlete has come to Jarmila Kratochvilova's 1983 world record of 1:53.28. Kratochvilova's record has stood for 41 years, with claims of doping during its setting having been strenuously denied by the athlete.