European 800m champion Audrey Werro has backed herself to overhaul one of athletics’ oldest and most controversial world records.

Jarmila Kratochvilova, representing the then Czechoslovakia, clocked one minute 53.28 seconds in 1983 and the mark has remained untouched in the 43 years since.

While a systematic doping programme of athletes was in place in the country during her career, Kratochvilova never failed a doping test and has denied cheating., external

Werro, still only 22, ran 1:53.80 in Paris in June, moving up to third in the event’s all-time list and to within half a second of Kratochvilova’s time.

“Things have happened really fast,” said Werro, on the eve of Thursday evening’s 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, a multiple title-winner at youth level, has improved her personal best in each of her last eight seasons and is now consistently within range of the world record.

This year the Swiss has registered three of the 10 fastest times in history.