All of Europe salutes the feat of Friborg resident Audrey Werro

Beaten by only 20 hundredths by the Swiss, Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson was particularly complimentary. “It doesn’t hurt that much because I was beaten by a great athlete,” she told the Times, which also quoted her calling Werro a “very strong athlete.” At the “Guardian”, the Briton also praised her rival’s ability to get up after her fall the day before: “It’s incredible what she did.”

The “Times” does not spare its superlatives. The British daily described Werro’s race as a “dominant, devastating display” and a “true masterclass in leading over middle distance racing”. The newspaper also emphasizes her courage: despite her fall the day before and the wind, the Swiss took her responsibilities by leading the final.

The “Guardian” draws on the personal story of Audrey Werro to tell the story of her victory. A very shy child, she was encouraged by her father to “become a lion” when she ran. Faced with Hodgkinson’s return in the final straight, writes journalist Sean Ingle, the Swiss applied this advice to the letter: “She did not give in. She roared.”

World Athletics believes that Audrey Werro has met the “considerable expectations” placed on her. The international organization especially highlights her reaction less than twenty-four hours after her fall: “The Swiss world leader showed why she arrived in Birmingham as the woman to beat.”

The official Olympic Games website believes that it took “something special” to win this final and that “Audrey Werro did it”. The media particularly highlights its ability to resist Hodgkinson’s return in front of a full stadium committed to the Briton’s cause. In another article, Olympics.com places Werro, Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol among the fastest women in the history of the discipline and emphasizes the composure of the Swiss.

In Spain too, the performance is impressive. “El País” describes a “beautiful battle” and a “legendary” race. The daily especially highlights the time of 1’54”81: according to it, such a performance would have allowed Werro to win almost all the Olympic and world finals in the history of the 800m, with two exceptions.

The Spanish sports site AS goes even further: “Ode to athletics: Werro’s imperial gold in a historic 800m,” it headlines. A way of describing both the Swiss victory as “imperial” and her final as an “ode to athletics”.

In France, “L’Équipe” does not hide its admiration. The daily presents the podium as a “royal trio”, made up of the three best in the world of the moment: Audrey Werro, Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol. In its assessment of the evening, the newspaper goes even further by presenting the Swiss “in majesty” after her title and elsewhere describes the final as a “gala 800m”.

The Sportschau, sporting reference of the German ARD, speaks frankly of a “spectacle over 800 meters”. His expert, former decathlete Frank Busemann, enthuses after the final: “It was great cinema. In terms of suspense, it was sensational.” The German media also emphasizes that Werro took the race on her own and that her rivals, despite their exceptional performances, never managed to overtake her.

The “Gazzetta dello Sport” first insists on the Championship record established by Werro, which erases a mark dating from 1982. But it is above all the reaction of the Italian Eloisa Coiro, sixth, which gives the measure of the level of the race: “I participated, in fact, in a world final.” She adds of her opponents: “I am happy to run with these women who are examples.” A particularly telling way of situating the performance of Werro and her rivals.