Swiss middle-distance star Audrey Werro continued her sensational form with another victory, while Dutch athletics icon Femke Bol delivered an eye-catching performance in her first outdoor 800m race.
Audrey Werro came close to challenging one of athletics’ oldest records as she secured victory in the women’s 800m at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in Czechia on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Swiss runner, who stunned Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in Stockholm earlier this month, clocked 1:54.55 to claim top honours. Although she fell short of the long-standing world record of 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983, Werro’s performance still ranks among the fastest ever recorded, making it the eighth-fastest women’s 800m time in history.
Werro had raised expectations after producing a remarkable 1:53.98 in Stockholm — the third-fastest women’s 800m performance of all time and the quickest in the world this year. She remained on record pace through 600 metres in Ostrava before easing slightly in the closing stages.
The race also marked an impressive outdoor 800m debut for Dutch star Femke Bol. The two-time world champion in the 400m hurdles finished second in 1:57.13, becoming the third-fastest Dutch woman ever over the distance.
Bol, who announced a switch in focus to longer distances last year, demonstrated her versatility once again. The 25-year-old, who married Belgian pole vaulter Ben Broeders earlier this year, is also a former world indoor champion in the 400m and played a key role in the Netherlands’ gold medal-winning 4x400m relay team at the Paris Olympics.
In another highlight of the meet, Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles produced a world-best time of 14.67 seconds over the rarely contested 150m distance, surpassing the previous curved-track best of 14.92 set by Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.
The Ostrava meet delivered several standout performances, but Werro’s continued dominance and Bol’s promising transition to the 800m stole the spotlight.
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