When Audrey Werro was crowned European Athlete of the Year in Lausanne this weekend, it was hardly a surprise.
The Swiss 800m star conquered the world in 2026, sweeping to a dramatic gold at the European Championships and global titles in the Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics Ultimate Championships.
Having begun the year as a rising star, she now sits top of the world rankings and is the new favourite to break one of the sport’s longest-standing records.
It has been an extraordinary rise to the top, fuelled in no small part by her performances in the Diamond League.
Werro’s breakthrough on the global stage came with a surprise victory in the Diamond League Final last season, where she set a Swiss record of 1:55.91 to win the series title and delight the home crowd in Zurich.
Yet even as defending Diamond League champion, she still came into 2026 in the shadow of British rival Keely Hodgkinson.
The reigning Olympic champion, Hodgkinson had her sights set on a comeback after an injury-ravaged 2025.
After she set a new world indoor record in February, many had tipped the Brit to break Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 33-year-old world record in the course of 2026.
As it turned out, Hodgkinson wasn’t the only one with an eye on the world record.
The first signs of a shift in power came in Stockholm, when Werro and Hodgkinson went head to head for the first time in 2026.
Though the Olympic champion broke her own British record with 1:54.33, she still finished second behind a dominant Werro.
The Swiss clocked a jaw-dropping time of 1:53.98, smashing the Diamond League record and becoming the third-fastest woman in history.
“I have no words: it’s a crazy performance and I think I’ll need a week to process what just happened,” she said.
Stockholm proved to be just the beginning, however. Three weeks later in Paris, Werro went even faster with 1:53.80, cementing her status as the world leader and the new favourite ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham.
Her European title dreams almost went up in flames after she tripped in the semi-final, but after being reinstated on review, Werro stormed past home favourite Hodgkinson in the final to win gold.
With a medal in the bag, the 22-year-old could then turn her attention to her Diamond League title defence.
Yet for all her dominance, Werro also had a new rival to deal with in the second half of the season.
After switching from the 400m hurdles at the start of the year, the Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol had been going from strength to strength with every passing race in 2026.
By August, she had whittled her personal best down to below 1:56 and was beginning to breathe down the necks of Werro and Hodgkinson.
That set up a thrilling finale to the Diamond League season, which heralded a new era of competition in the women’s 800m.
In Lausanne, Werro had to dig deep to claim victory with 1:55.33 as Broeders-Bol set a new Dutch record of 1:55.41 behind her.
The Swiss then won on home soil again in Zurich, shaving another 0.10 seconds off her PB and claiming her third Diamond League record of the season with 1:53.70.
She also prevailed in the final in Brussels, holding off a ferocious challenge from Broeders-Bol to defend her title and end the Diamond League season unbeaten.
“I wanted to show that I have it in me to not only win a title, but that I can also extend one. That personal challenge made this Diamond League Final my last big objective this season,” said Werro.
“I felt Femke Broeders-Bol putting me under pressure during the whole race and that absolutely pushed me to not slow down. Her presence is a big source of motivation for me to stay sharp going into next year.”
By the end of 2026, Werro had reached the top of the world rankings and established herself as the new firm favourite to take down Kratochvilova’s world record.
When and to whom the record falls, only time will tell. One thing, though, is certain. With Werro, Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol all pushing the limits of the possible, the women’s 800m is not to be missed in 2027.
