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She can hardly seem to believe it herself: Audrey Werro after her fabulous run in Stockholm.
Imago
Audrey Werro delivered one of the greatest races in recent athletics history on Sunday. Who is the woman who is currently redefining Swiss running?
There are moments in sport that change everything. For Audrey Werro, that moment came on Sunday evening in Stockholm. The 22-year-old from Freiburg won the Diamond League race over 800 meters in an incredible 1:53.98 minutes - a time that catapults her to third place on the all-time world record list.
No woman had run faster for more than 40 years. Only the Czechoslovakian Jarmila Kratochvílová (1:53.28) and the Soviet runner Nadezhda Olisarenko (1:53.43) have ever been faster. Werro is also the first woman since 1983 to beat the 1:54 mark.
Anyone looking at Audrey Werro today might think that this rise was logical. In fact, there were many signs early on that an exceptional talent was growing up here.
Born on March 27, 2004, Werro grew up in Courtepin FR. Even as a teenager, she stood out for her exceptional combination of speed, endurance and racing instinct. While many young female runners specialize in longer distances, Werro had the explosiveness of a sprinter. This ability still characterizes her running style today.
Werro, who grew up with three siblings, probably also has family roots for her athletic ability. Her father Claude Werro once joked to SRF: "After all, I never had to run 4 kilometers to school." Her mother Philomène, who comes from the Ivory Coast, is quite different. "I did. That's common in Africa. Especially if you live in the country," she explained. Audrey Werro seems to have inherited the "fast genes", as they are known in the family, at least in part from her mother.
She first attracted international attention in 2021 when she won gold in the 800 meters at the U20 European Championships. This was followed a year later by silver at the U20 World Championships.
However, the transition from junior to professional level is rarely straightforward. Werro also had to learn to deal with the expectations. Injuries were largely absent, but the competition became tougher.
The 2024 season did not bring the hoped-for breakthrough. She missed the European Championships through injury and was eliminated in the semi-finals at the Olympic Games in Paris. But instead of being discouraged, she used her experiences as motivation.
In 2025, she made the big step into the world elite. She won several international races and set an exclamation mark at the Diamond League final in Zurich: In 1:55.91 minutes, she improved the Swiss record and secured the prestigious Diamond Trophy.
At the time, many things seemed possible. However, the fact that just a few months later she would advance into regions that had been considered almost unattainable for decades surprised even the experts.
The race in Stockholm was not just a victory. It was a demonstration of power. Werro defeated the British Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, who in turn ran a British record. Both athletes ran one of the fastest 800-meter races in history. Hodgkinson achieved a personal best of 1:54.33 minutes - and still lost.
It is not just the final time that is remarkable. Last summer, Werro's personal best was almost two seconds higher. In the world of middle distance running, performance improvements of this magnitude at the highest level are extremely rare.
Werro embodies the modern type of 800-meter runner: powerful, courageous and tactically flexible. She can control races from the front, but at the same time has an explosive final sprint. While many competitors rely on perfect race courses, Werro seems to be able to master different race situations.
After her exploit in Stockholm, there is already speculation as to whether the Swiss athlete could one day even attack the world record. Kratochvílová's mark has been considered untouchable for decades. After Stockholm, it suddenly wobbles.
Werro herself remains remarkably down-to-earth. When she crossed the finish line on Sunday evening, she refrained from any jubilant gestures. She just shook her head. "This time is crazy," she said later into the SRF microphone. It will take time for her to come to terms with it.
For Switzerland, her rise means far more than just another medal hope. For decades, Swiss athletics has been dominated by sprinters, multi-discipline athletes and steeplechasers. With Audrey Werro, the country now has an athlete who belongs to the absolute world elite at a classic running distance.
The career of the Fribourg native is probably only just beginning. At the age of 22, she is still nowhere near her peak performance in middle-distance running. If her development continues at this pace, Stockholm could one day be seen not as the pinnacle of her career - but merely as the moment when the world finally recognized how exceptional Audrey Werro is.
