<\/p>\n
On a wild summer\u2019s night in Stockholm, a woman ran the quickest 800m since the darkest days of the cold war. But, staggeringly, her name was not Keely Hodgkinson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s 800m Olympic champion<\/a> had promised she was in personal-best shape, and duly proved as good as her word. But she had no answer to the young Swiss star Audrey Werro, who swooped like lightning across a cloudless sky before crossing the line in 1min 53.98sec.<\/p>\n It was the third fastest time in history. Now only two women stand above Werro in the pantheon: the Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova, whose world record of 1:53.28, set in 1983, is the oldest in track and field; and the late Soviet star Nadezhda Olizarenko, who ran 1:53.43 in 1980.<\/p>\n Hodgkinson, whose British record time of 1:54.33 puts her sixth on the all-time list, was gracious in defeat. And, encouraging to British ears, she insisted that the sting of defeat would help her take down Kratochvilova\u2019s record this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m not that disappointed,\u201d Hodgkinson said. \u201cI\u2019ve mentioned the world record, and, to get down to the times that we\u2019re talking about, you can\u2019t do it by yourself. So I think this will actually be a pivotal moment.\u201d<\/p>\n One press box wag reckoned that \u201cShockholm\u201d would be an apt tabloid headline for what we had witnessed, especially given that Werro had run a personal best by nearly two seconds. Yet there were mitigating factors for Hodgkinson\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old has been working on her 400m speed and 1500m stamina, rather than specific 800m work. That will now change as she aims to break the world record in the London Diamond League in July.<\/p>\n \u201cI really work well with a little bit of anger and motivation so I can\u2019t complain too much,\u201d she said. \u201cBeforehand I was a bit apprehensive, because I hadn\u2019t done a specific 800m block, but I knew I was at least in 1:54-low shape.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she\u2019s getting the best out of me and I still believe in myself \u2013 the world record is still my goal in London next month, I still believe I can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n It ended up being a thriller of a race, with the pacemakers taking them through halfway in a rapid 55.54 and Hodgkinson making her move with 300m remaining.<\/p>\n The Briton was adopting a similar playbook to the one she had used to defeat Werro in the World Indoor Championships<\/a> in March, but this time the Swiss clung on before striking for home with 50m remaining.<\/p>\n \u201cI am still in shock,\u201d the 22-year-old said. \u201cIt\u2019s really crazy. Now I believe the world record can fall this year.\u201d<\/p>\n