Audrey Werro on her way to the 800m win at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 (© Getty Images)
The three-way rivalry may have been one of the dominant talking points of the 2026 season, but the outcome has essentially been the same in every race. Audrey Werro once again underlined that she is the world’s best 800m runner with her victory at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
Hodgkinson had started the year as the best in the discipline, setting a world indoor record of 1:54.87 and then winning the world indoor title in a championship record of 1:55.30.
But outdoors was a different story. Starting with the Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Werro put together a string of 800m victories, routinely finishing ahead of Hodgkinson and recent 800m convert Femke Broeders-Bol, the two-time world 400m hurdles champion.
Werro’s sub-1:54 wins in Stockholm, Paris and Zurich has prompted plenty of world record speculation. And rightly so – the Swiss athlete’s best of 1:53.70 is just 0.42 shy of the long-standing mark, and she now owns three of the five fastest times in history.
The race in Budapest, though, was less about records and more about finding the ultimate champion. While Werro started as the pre-race favourite, Broeders-Bol had been closing in on the world leader in their recent clashes. Hodgkinson, meanwhile, was the last athlete to beat Werro.
Werro dictated the pace and led through the first lap in 57.83 with Broeders-Bol close behind and Hodgkinson a stride adrift.
The leading trio bunched up with 200 metres to go, but Werro had saved an extra gear, kicking ahead into the home straight. Hodgkinson, who had skipped the Diamond League Final as a precautionary measure, managed to pass Broeders-Bol in the closing stages.
But neither challenger could catch Werro, who strode through the line in 1:55.88. Hodgkinson finished second in 1:56.26 and Broeders-Bol placed third in 1:56.74, reflecting the same 1-2-3 from the European Championships.
“I’m so happy with the race,” said Werro. “I think I have won every race I’ve had this year during the outdoor season. It is really crazy but, at the same time, it is something I have worked for and now I am getting the result.”
“I’m actually quite proud with how this race turned out,” said Hodgkinson. “I wanted to win and it ended up pretty close. These are some amazing women, and we all push each other.”
Broeders-Bol was also happy with her race, and her year as a whole. “My season is done and now I can say that I really love this event,” she said. “I’ve loved all of this year even more than I expected. This third place means a lot.”
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
