Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson says she has mixed emotions after settling for silver in the 800m final and says she is looks forward to her next race with Audrey Werro.
READ MORE: Hodgkinson beaten to European gold by rival Werro
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Werro’s triumph was all the more impressive given she suffered a nasty fall in her semi-final on Thursday, before later being reinstated into the final.
Replays showed the left hand of France’s Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro’s right foot. But, clutching her chest in pain as she jogged across the line, she still faced a race against time to recover.
That drama led to a congested 10-athlete final – but, despite Briton Jemma Reekie’s best efforts, there only ever appeared three contenders for gold.
Hodgkinson had twice beaten Werro during the indoor season – including to win her first world title – but was stunned when the European under-23 champion surged past her at the Stockholm Diamond League this summer and produced the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983.
Hodgkinson, who achieved the first major outdoor title of her career at the European Championships in 2022 before retaining the title in Rome two years ago, vowed not to allow that to happen again.
But Werro crashed her bid to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the same event, proving she will be a force to be reckoned with on athletics’ biggest stages over the coming years.
Hodgkinson can also expect Broeders-Bol, third in 1:55.54, to only improve with World Championship gold up for grabs next year, following the rapid progress made by the two-time world 400m hurdles champion since switching events this season.
PIERCE Brosnan, 73, has been spotted with his rarely seen wife Keely, 63, as they went out to lunch at celebrity hotspot E. Baldi in Beverly Hills.
The former James Bond actor, was all smiles as he left the restaurant with a bag and a cold drink.
Keely, looked stunning in a white summer dress and lemon cardigan which she paired with Chanel sandals and sunglasses.
The pair looked as loved up as ever as they drove back home after their lunch date.
Pierce and Keely have been married for 25 years and met at a beach party in 1994 – she was a journalist and had flown out to interview Cheers actor Ted Danson, who had attended the same party.
When Ted left, Keely found herself talking to Pierce, and the two hit it off.
They shared their first date a few days later in Mexico, sitting under the stars as they held hands and talked until 3am.
The couple married at Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo, Ireland, in 2001, just six months after welcoming son Paris.
“He was captivating. Tall, dark, and handsome. Everything that everybody would immediately be attracted to,” she said.
“He had a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.”
Pierce has said that when he first laid eyes on sultry brunette Keely at the beach party, he fell head over heels.
But in January this year, Pierce, who says he still fancies the pants off his “passionate” wife who makes him “weak at the knees”, was left blindsided by a cruel post targeting Keely online, which ended up going viral.
Shared on X, it featured two snaps: one from the 1996 Governors Ball for the Academy Awards and another of the couple at the 2008 Mamma Mia! premiere.
The vile troll captioned it: “Dear men, this is why marriage should be avoided.”
The cutting words, which took a cruel swipe at Keely’s weight, sparked outrage. She was inundated with comments of support.
But insiders told us that Pierce, who shares sons Dylan, 29, and Paris, 25, with Keely, has reached his limit with it all.
A pal of the star told me “He was really furious about it and finds it incredibly sad that their whole marriage is reduced to talk about Keely’s weight.
“It is truly devastating for him that her body is all anyone talks about. For him, Keely is everything.”
Pierce has described his wife, who he tenderly calls “my girl”, as “a strength I wouldn’t be able to live without”.
He gushed in the past: “I love her vitality, her passion. When Keely looks at me, I go weak at the knees.”
Last week teaser images were released of Pierce in MobLand alongside telly hardman Tom Hardy and Dame Helen Mirren in what is gearing up to be the most explosive season yet.
Keely Hodgkinson pulled out of the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships moments before Sunday’s race.
The Olympic 800m champion has been competing over the shorter distance in a bid to improve her first-lap speed and challenge for the 800m world record this summer.
After qualifying from Saturday’s heats, she warmed up for the final in Birmingham but stepped off the track right before the finalists were put under starters’ orders.
Hodgkinson looked emotional as she stood at the side of the track before making her way back inside the Alexander Stadium.
The 24-year-old endured an injury-disrupted 2025 and her shock withdrawal on Sunday comes four weeks before the London Diamond League meeting, which she had earmarked for a tilt at the 800m world record.
More to follow.
