KEELY HODGKINSON breezed through her 800m semi-final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham today as her Swiss nemesis Audrey Werro was contentiously put through to the final after tumbling in the first race.

The Briton, who would seal a hat-trick of successive European golds if she wins tonight, crossed the finish in one minute, 57.38s — eight hundredths of a second faster than the Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol, who also qualified as the runner-up from Hodgkinson’s heat.

Werro was unsure what caused her to fall face first as the pack rounded the final bend but, having picked herself up and stumbled over the line, she was later cleared by officials to progress to the final, setting up a tantalising showdown with Hodgkinson and the Netherlands’ Broeders-Bol.

Scotland’s Jemma Reekie won the first heat to also seal her place in tonight’s final.

Asked about what happened to Werro, Hodgkinson told the BBC: “I heard the ‘oooh’ which is never a good sign, I don’t know what it looked like. You can’t worry about what happened to other people, I hope she’s OK and in the final tomorrow for an exciting race.

“Another 1:57 so I’m happy. The excitement makes me excited. I love a good challenge and I hope for a clean race with no falling over and no wind.”

Speaking on the BBC before her appeal was granted, Werro said: “I was feeling great but unfortunately I don’t know, something happened and then I was on the ground.

“I hope I will qualify for the final because then I can go to the final. I finished the race, now we’ll see what happens.”

Werro’s confusion was understandable. Even on slow-motion replays, it was not entirely clear what had happened.

Later replays appeared to show that as she was also jostling for position with Anais Bourgoin beside her, her foot might have made contact with the French record-holder’s left hand.

But many observers were not convinced. Steve Cram, commentating for the BBC, felt Werro tripped herself but that it was good to have the Swiss star in the final.

“She [Werro] tripped herself, I think that is reasonably evident but look, we all want to see the best athletes in the final,” Cram said.

“Even Keely [Hodgkinson] said that. The referees have a had a look at it… I don’t think Great Britain will counter-protest this because Keely wants her to be there.

“We are getting the final we wanted, that’s one way to look at it.”

But BBC pundit Greg Rutherford also thought Werro had actually caused it herself, claiming “she kicked her own leg,” and predicted her appeal would not be granted.

Werro has enjoyed a remarkable season, having already posted the third and fourth-fastest women’s 800m times in history earlier this summer and is a major threat to Hodgkinson’s hopes of gold.

Bourgoin, the fourth-fastest woman at 800m in Europe this year after Werro, Hodgkinson and Bol, also reached the final.

Morgan Lake sealed a spot in the high jump final, Amber Anning and Yemi Mary John will race for 400m gold tomorrow, and Ebuka Nwokeji will join Zharnel Hughes in the men’s 200m semi-finals.

Kristian Imroth and William Battershill both advanced to the 3,000m steeplechase final.