Keely Hodgkinson: People said my shock defeat was a failure - they were wrong
Keely Hodgkinson defends her recent performance against critics who labeled her second-place finish in Sweden a failure. She emphasizes that setting a personal best and a British record demonstrates her continued growth as an athlete.
Why it matters
Explores the psychological pressure on elite athletes and the public perception of success versus failure.
Keely Hodgkinson has called out her critics for classing her shock 800m defeat by Switzerland's Audrey Werro as a failure.
The British Olympic gold-medal winner had to settle for second at June's Diamond League race in Sweden as, despite setting a personal best, she was beaten by Werro .
The Swiss became the first woman to break 1min 54sec in almost 43 years.
Audrey Werro beat Hodgkinson in June and became the first woman since Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983 to break 1min 54sec - Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP
The European Athletics Championships start in Birmingham on Monday and the women's 800m provides the highlight later this week with Hodgkinson taking on Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol, an all-time great who has 11 European titles across one lap.
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