Keely Hodgkinson takes off medal during live BBC interview after crushing defeat

Keely Hodgkinson takes off medal during live BBC interview after crushing defeat Keely Hodgkinson had mixed emotions after finishing as runner-up in the 800m in the European Championships Keely Hodgkinson made her feelings crystal clear after finishing runner-up in the 800m final at the European Championships in Birmingham tonight. The Olympic and defending champion ran a 1:55:01 but it wasn't enough to retain her crown in a tightly fought race. Swiss star Audrey Werro recovered from a dramatic fall in her semi-final race to run a 1:54.81 and set a new Championship record, boasting too much in the tank for her Team GB rival. Femke Broeders-Bol rounded off the top three and set a new national record for the Netherlands having only switched from 400m to 800m recently. Hodgkinson could not hide her disappointment in an interview after the race, removing her silver medal after missing out on the one she wanted. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page Speaking after the race, Hodgkinson took off her medal and told the BBC: "I'm kidding, that was a joke. Yeah, a bit of mixed emotions. I think with that level of competition, any medal is a really good achievement. "So another one to add to my collection. I can never be disappointed with that. But yeah, I'm defending champion, so I wanted to do that. "I knew it was going to come down to the wire. I really thought I was going to win today, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I didn't do anything wrong. It's just one of those things." Werro led the race from the outset and when asked whether that was part of the plan, Hodgkinson said: "I think there were so many different ways it could play out. "It was all down to figuring out the first 100 metres. Audrey wanted to take it on. With that wind, I was happy to let her. "But yeah, we're all really great athletes and I knew it was going to be close. I look forward to the next match-up." Despite finishing second, the 24-year-old said competing against such a high calibre of athletes brings out the best of her. She said: "I've said all year it's really motivating to be in such a competitive event. I love it. I think it brings out the best in me. "Championship racing is what it's all about. You don't know how it's going to go. Some people can have a good day. Some people can have a bad day. "I had a pretty good day today, I think. It just didn't go the way that I wanted it to." Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL. Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.