Ask Onix
Werro shatters expectations with historic 800m win
Swiss runner Audrey Werro delivered a career-defining performance at the Stockholm Diamond League, clocking the third-fastest women's 800m time in history and the fastest of 2026 so far. Her time of 1:53.98 left Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson trailing in second place, despite the Briton setting a new national record.
Hodgkinson's near-miss in season opener
Hodgkinson, competing in her first outdoor 800m race of the year, finished with a British record of 1:54.33-just 0.35 seconds behind Werro. The 24-year-old had previously targeted the world record this season after breaking the indoor mark in February. However, Werro's aggressive pacing left Hodgkinson chasing from the final bend.
"It was a quick one, a really interesting race," Hodgkinson reflected. "When Audrey went off, I was like 'just chill,' but massive respect to her. That was a great race, and it will motivate me more in training to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Duplantis' rare Diamond League defeat
Sweden's pole vault sensation Armand Duplantis suffered his first Diamond League loss in three years, finishing second to Australia's Kurtis Marschall (5.90m). Duplantis, who set his 15th world record (6.31m) in Uppsala earlier this year, managed only 5.80m in Stockholm.
"I felt I was pretty unfocused, not ready to compete at the top level. I feel bad for my fans and family, but I'm not that mad. We have a saying in Sweden that you're either lucky in games or in love, and in some strange way, I think there's a silver lining here."
Armand Duplantis
Other highlights from Stockholm
- Men's discus: Sweden's Daniel Ståhl won with a throw of 69.60m, ahead of Australia's Matthew Denny (69.02m).
- Women's 100m: Britain's Amy Hunt set a personal best (10.97s) to finish second behind American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Dina Asher-Smith placed sixth (11.24s).
- Men's 200m: American Kenneth Bednarek won (19.87s), while Britain's Jeremiah Azu was disqualified for a false start.
- Women's 3000m steeplechase: Tunisia's Marwa Bouzayani broke the meeting record (8:59.28), with Britain's Elise Thorner second.
- Men's 800m: America's Cooper Lutkenhaus won (1:42.70), while Ben Pattison (1:43.70) and Jake Wightman (1:44.39) finished fourth and seventh for Britain.
- Women's shot put: The Netherlands' Jessica Schilder set a meeting record with a 20.89m throw.
What's next for Hodgkinson?
Hodgkinson, who finished seventh in a rare 400m outing earlier in the week, will compete in Eugene before the London Diamond League on July 18. "It's good to have a run in your legs because you can learn what you can do better," she said. "Overall, I'm quite happy with that race-I made the right decisions, but Audrey was just better on the day."
