BELGRADE (Feb 12) – Swiss middle-distance runner Audrey Werro produced a dominant solo performance to claim the world lead in the women’s 800 meters at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Belgrade on Wednesday (11). The 2026 Belgrade Indoor Meeting is part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold fixtures. (Full Result)
The 21-year-old seven-time Swiss national champion clocked 1:57.27, bettering the previous world-leading mark of 1:57.43 set by Britain’s Izzy Boffey just 12 days earlier.
Werro, running in her third race of the season after her 1:57.49 in Val-de-Reuil and a conservative outing in Madrid, executed a near-perfect race from start to finish. After American pacemaker Paris Peoples led the field through 400 metres in 56.5 seconds, Werro took command and never looked back.
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The twice European Junior champion and the 2025 European U23 gold medalist, completed the race in composed fashion despite having to cover the final 400 metres largely alone, with Austria’s Caroline Bredlinger finishing second and 2024 world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso of Botswana unable to match Werro’s pace.
“It’s really a great reward, because I train hard this winter and I felt like really ready to do a big time today,” Werro told reporters after the win. “So I’m really happy with the time. And also, with the atmosphere here, it’s really perfect.”
Werro had already run the second-fastest time in the world earlier this season and remains among the gold medal favourites ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, from March 20-22. The Diamond League Final winner was a 4th-place finisher at World Indoor Championships in 2025.
Caroline Bredlinger of Austria ran 2:01.80 for second place, with Portugal’s Patrícia Silva, the World Indoor bronze medalist, posting 2:02.80 for third place, and Prudence Sekgodiso, the world indoor champion in Nanjing, taking third with 2:03.76.
