'The record will fall' - Werro targets 43-year-old 800m mark

Audrey Werro, the reigning European 800m champion, has set her sights on one of athletics' most enduring and controversial records. The 22-year-old Swiss runner believes she can surpass the 43-year-old mark set by Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia in 1983.

Kratochvilova's time of one minute 53.28 seconds has stood for decades, a period marked by widespread doping in Eastern Bloc athletics. However, Kratochvilova herself has never failed a doping test and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Werro's confidence is bolstered by her recent performance. She clocked 1:53.80 in Paris in June, placing her third on the all-time list and just half a second away from Kratochvilova's record. "Things have happened really fast," Werro stated ahead of the Diamond League meeting in Zurich. "I was not prepared for a world record this year. I just want to focus on running fast and winning some races and I think with this mentality the world record will fall one day. But I don't know when."

Werro has shown remarkable consistency, improving her personal best in each of the last eight seasons. This year alone, she has achieved three of the top 10 fastest times in the event's history, making her a strong contender to challenge the long-standing record.

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Things have happened really fast. I was not prepared for a world record this year. I just want to focus on running fast and winning some races and I think with this mentality the world record will fall one day. But I don't know when.