Women's 800 meters in the spotlight as Britain hosts European championships for 1st time

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Shy as a kid, Audrey Werro took her dad's advice before races that “I have to be a lion.”

The 22-year-old Swiss star, who uses a lion's roar celebration, will be in the spotlight at the European championships when she's expected to line up against Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol in the highly anticipated women's 800 meters.

Britain's Hodgkinson is the reigning Olympic champion and Dutch star Broeders-Bol has impressed in her first year in the 800 after switching from the 400-meter hurdles. Meanwhile, Werro in late June ran the third-fastest women's time ever: 1 minute, 53.80 seconds.

The women's 800 world record of 1:53:28 was set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova.

“The goal is to win the medal,” Werro said Sunday at a press conference at Alexander Stadium ahead of the seven-day European championships. “I don’t know if the race will be fast or it will be a tactical race. I don't have the world record now in my head.”

The final is Friday night.

Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis sounds as if he's fully recovered from a thigh issue that forced him to stop competing at the London Diamond League meet just over three weeks ago.

The two-time reigning Olympic champion told the BBC that he's eager for another world record. He wants one “like, yesterday.”

In March, the Louisiana-born Duplantis broke the world record for a 15th time. When he's not breaking records, the part-time crooner is making them too.

The men's pole vault final is next Sunday on the final evening of the competition.

Two-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen is set to make his return from surgery on his left Achilles tendon when he lines up in the 5,000 meters on Monday night. The 25-year-old Norwegian had surgery in early 2026 to clean up scar tissue on the protective sheath around the tendon.

Ingebrigtsen is not registered for the 1,500 meters. He’s won both the 1,500 and 5,000 at the past three European championships.

Ingebrigtsen won the Olympic title in the 1,500 at the Tokyo Games held in 2021. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he won gold in the 5,000.

The women’s 100-meter final is also Monday night.

This is the first time that Britain has hosted the European championships. An estimated 1,600 athletes from 49 member federations will compete.

“I want us and our great sport to dominate the sporting landscape for the next week,” said Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics. “We can forget about football transfers for a little bit and we can just enjoy the best athletes in the world.”

Visitors can enjoy host Birmingham, as well. The West Midlands city home to “Peaky Blinders” and the late Ozzy Osbourne also boasts some good cuisine.

“We have the best curry and fish and chips,” said Matt Hudson-Smith, who grew up in the area and has a section of Alexander Stadium named for him.

Hudson-Smith, the silver medalist in the 400 meters at the Paris Olympics, said Birmingham is sometimes on the receiving end of jokes “from the Londoners.”

“We’re a quirky city. We’re a strong community,” said Hudson-Smith, who expects to be in the 400 final on Wednesday night. “Everyone knows everybody. It’s a big city but it’s so close-knit it’s insane.”

Ten athletes with the best performances will each receive a bonus of 50,000 euros ($58,000).

European Athletics said its “gold crown initiative,” launched at the 2024 edition in Rome, will reward athletes across five groups of events for both men and women: sprints and hurdles; middle and long distance; throws; jumps; road, combined events and relays.

World Athletics scoring tables will determine the highest scoring performance in the respective finals.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Britain's Laviai Nielsen runs during a training session ahead of the start of the European Athletics Championships, in Birmingham, England, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith, center, reacts with Amber Anning, left and Nicole Yeargin, during a training session ahead of the start of the European Athletics Championships, in Birmingham, England, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

FILE - Audrey Werro of Switzerland, poses after winning the women's 800 meters at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League athletics meet in Paris, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has stepped away from football.

“His biggest worry was letting us down, that’s the type of guy he is," Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Sunday, when Bridgewater was placed on the reserve/retired list.

The 33-year-old journeyman had signed a one-year deal with the Lions in March after spending 2025 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also spent 2023 and part of 2024 with Detroit.

“So I’ve known Teddy a long time. As a human being he is unbelievable. Certainly as a player, everything that he’s about, the type of teammate he is, the way he prepares. He always played the game up here," an emotional Campbell said, pointing to his head. “He had a huge heart. He’s going to be missed."

Campbell, who was assistant head coach with the New Orleans Saints when Bridgewater played there in 2018 and 2019, has maintained a close relationship with the quarterback.

“I’ll never forget 2019 when Drew (Brees) got injured. We’d just gone out to the Rams, got beat out there and Drew got his thumb and we lost him for five weeks," Campbell said. “Teddy stepped in and we won five in a row. That was Teddy. His time being with us meant a lot, and it meant a lot to our guys. He’s going to be missed."

Bridgewater had been signed to back up Jared Goff. Undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer, the only other QB on the Lions roster, had been getting more reps in training camp earlier this week when Bridgewater was absent, and again on Sunday.

“I thought he did some really good things," Campbell said. “He was put in some tough positions for a young player that you absolutely have to be put in, you just do, you’ve got to be thrust in, you need to fail, you need to make mistakes so you can grow and we thought he handled it really well.”

Altmyer said he has learned so much from Bridgewater.

“It was a joy to spend some time with him, but it brings about opportunity for myself, and the standard is to play good football no matter how many reps and or whatever my role is, I have a job to do and my job is to do that very, very well at a high level," Altmyer said. “I’m thankful. I believe in my abilities and I’m going to go cut it loose whatever that looks like for me.’’

The Lions plan to sign a veteran quarterback as soon as Monday.

Campbell said Goff will not play in the preseason game Thursday in Cincinnati.

“Certainly Altmyer will take a heavy load and anybody else we get we’ll get them up to speed as fast as we can and give them some reps," Campbell said.

Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 and started 28 games his first two seasons. Before the 2016 season he tore his ACL and suffered more structural knee damage that kept him out of action into the 2017 season. Bridgewater also played for the Dolphins, Broncos, Panthers and Jets.

In 2024, before he re-signed with the Lions in December, Bridgewater coached Miami Northwestern Senior High, his alma mater, to the Florida Class 3A state championship. But he was suspended for the 2025 season after revealing that he personally paid for meals, ride-share services and treatments for some players.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Detroit Lions quarterback Luke Altmyer throws during practice at the NFL football team's training camp, in Allen Park, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Detroit Lions quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater (5) talks with Jared Goff (16) during practice at the NFL football team's training camp, in Allen Park, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)