Keely Hodgkinson and expected gold medal rivals Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol remain on course for their highly anticipated showdown after safely reaching Thursday’s women’s 800m semi-finals at the European Athletics Championships.
Olympic champion Hodgkinson, winner of the past two European titles, controlled her heat throughout to win in one minute 57.28 seconds – the fastest time across the four heats on Tuesday morning.
Swiss athlete Werro, who stunned Hodgkinson by running the fastest time for 43 years to beat the Briton earlier this season, appeared equally comfortable as she won her race in 1:57.83.
There were no issues either for Femke Broeders-Bol. The fast-improving Dutch two-time world 400m hurdles champion, who chose to switch events this season, crossed the line first in 1:59.96.
Hodgkinson’s post-race interview with BBC Sport was briefly interrupted by Italy’s Eloisa Coiro, who said the 24-year-old was “an inspiration on and off the track”.
Hodgkinson, who has had a couple of setbacks during her outdoor campaign, said: “I have worked so hard and the shape has been there all year. It’s just been an unfortunate couple of events that have led to me maybe being a little bit off.
“Championships are a fresh start. That felt very good, very comfortable. The standard has gone up but it’s good, it brings out the best in me.
“All it takes is one person to raise the bar and you think more things are possible. Everyone knows that to keep up you have to keep getting better. It’s a really exciting time for the women’s 800m.”