Keely Hodgkinson was forced to settle for European silver as Switzerland's Audrey Werro denied the Briton a third consecutive title in a thrilling women's 800m final in Birmingham.
The most eagerly anticipated event of the championships culminated in the expected three-way battle for supremacy between Hodgkinson, Swiss 22-year-old Werro and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in front of a captivated sellout crowd of 23,000 inside Alexander Stadium.
Seeking to reassert her dominance in the event, Olympic champion Hodgkinson was roared on in pursuit of Werro by her home support but was unable to overhaul her new rival in the closing stages.
Having this season become the fastest athlete since the world record was set 43 years ago, Werro finished strong to land her first senior international title in a championship record one minute 54.81 seconds to her rival's 1:55.01.
"Mixed emotions," Hodgkinson told the BBC.
"I think with that level of competition, any medal is a really good achievement and another one to add to my collection, so I can never be disappointed with that. But I'm defending champion, so I wanted to do that.
"I knew it was going to come down to the wire but I really thought I was going to win today.
"It wasn't meant to be. I didn't do anything wrong - it was just one of those things."
While not the medal Hodgkinson had hoped for, silver represented the 24-year-old's 12th senior international medal since she claimed her first as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago.
Hodgkinson allowed Werro to take charge on the opening lap before attempting to make her move on the final bend - just as the Swiss had done to her when she prevailed in Stockholm in June - but her rival would not relent.
Her silver, which came 20 minutes after Zharnel Hughes won silver in the men's 200m, was the British team's 10th medal in five days, but they have conceded top spot in the medal table to Italy, who now have five golds to the host nation's four.
Werro's triumph was all the more impressive given she suffered a nasty fall in her semi-final on Thursday, before later being reinstated into the final.
Replays showed the left hand of France's Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro's right foot. But, clutching her chest in pain as she jogged across the line, she still faced a race against time to recover.
That drama led to a congested 10-athlete final - but, despite Briton Jemma Reekie's best efforts, there only ever appeared three contenders for gold.
Hodgkinson had twice beaten Werro during the indoor season - including to win her first world title - but was stunned when the European under-23 champion surged past her at the Stockholm Diamond League this summer and produced the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983.
Hodgkinson, who achieved the first major outdoor title of her career at the European Championships in 2022 before retaining the title in Rome two years ago, vowed not to allow that to happen again.
But Werro crashed her bid to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the same event, proving she will be a force to be reckoned with on athletics' biggest stages over the coming years.
Hodgkinson can also expect Broeders-Bol, third in 1:55.54, to only improve with World Championship gold up for grabs next year, following the rapid progress made by the two-time world 400m hurdles champion since switching events this season.
The most eagerly anticipated event of the championships culminated in the expected three-way battle for supremacy between Hodgkinson, Swiss 22-year-old Werro and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol in front of a captivated sellout crowd of 23,000 inside Alexander Stadium.
Seeking to reassert her dominance in the event, Olympic champion Hodgkinson was roared on in pursuit of Werro by her home support but was unable to overhaul her new rival in the closing stages.
Having this season become the fastest athlete since the world record was set 43 years ago, Werro finished strong to land her first senior international title in a championship record one minute 54.81 seconds to her rival's 1:55.01.
"Mixed emotions," Hodgkinson told the BBC.
"I think with that level of competition, any medal is a really good achievement and another one to add to my collection, so I can never be disappointed with that. But I'm defending champion, so I wanted to do that.
"I knew it was going to come down to the wire but I really thought I was going to win today.
"It wasn't meant to be. I didn't do anything wrong - it was just one of those things."
While not the medal Hodgkinson had hoped for, silver represented the 24-year-old's 12th senior international medal since she claimed her first as a teenager at the European Indoor Championships five years ago.
Hodgkinson allowed Werro to take charge on the opening lap before attempting to make her move on the final bend - just as the Swiss had done to her when she prevailed in Stockholm in June - but her rival would not relent.
Her silver, which came 20 minutes after Zharnel Hughes won silver in the men's 200m, was the British team's 10th medal in five days, but they have conceded top spot in the medal table to Italy, who now have five golds to the host nation's four.
Werro's triumph was all the more impressive given she suffered a nasty fall in her semi-final on Thursday, before later being reinstated into the final.
Replays showed the left hand of France's Anais Bourgoin had clipped Werro's right foot. But, clutching her chest in pain as she jogged across the line, she still faced a race against time to recover.
That drama led to a congested 10-athlete final - but, despite Briton Jemma Reekie's best efforts, there only ever appeared three contenders for gold.
Hodgkinson had twice beaten Werro during the indoor season - including to win her first world title - but was stunned when the European under-23 champion surged past her at the Stockholm Diamond League this summer and produced the first sub-1:54 clocking since 1983.
Hodgkinson, who achieved the first major outdoor title of her career at the European Championships in 2022 before retaining the title in Rome two years ago, vowed not to allow that to happen again.
But Werro crashed her bid to become the first British woman to win three consecutive European titles in the same event, proving she will be a force to be reckoned with on athletics' biggest stages over the coming years.
Hodgkinson can also expect Broeders-Bol, third in 1:55.54, to only improve with World Championship gold up for grabs next year, following the rapid progress made by the two-time world 400m hurdles champion since switching events this season.
Related Coverage
- BBCKeely Hodgkinson: Great Britain's Olympic champion ready for fight against fresh rivals â BBCAudrey Werro holds off Britainâs Keely Hodgkinson to win European 800m gold
- BBCAudrey Werro holds off Britainâs Keely Hodgkinson to win European 800m gold â The Guardian
- European Athletics Championships 2026: Updates from Birmingham as Keely Hodgkinson, Dina Asher-Smith, Katarina Johnson-Thompson compete â Sky Sports
- Coe: Friday's 800m final could be the "race of the year" â and it'll be won or lost in the "killing zone" â Athletics Weekly
