Paul Martin

Keely Hodgkinson heads into the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham determined to reassert her dominance in the women's 800m after Switzerland's Audrey Werro beat her in Stockholm and posted the fastest time in decades in Paris. Hodgkinson remains the Olympic and defending European champion and recently won the World Indoor title, while Werro says her priority is a medal rather than a world record. The final is expected to feature a strong field, including Femke Broeders-Bol, with championship racing likely to reward tactics, resilience and finishing strength.