Keely Hodgkinson won't rule out making attempt at new British record in Lausanne
'I guess I was pretty close the other day, so I wouldn't rule it out, no,' said the 23-year-old.
⭐️ Keely is BACK ⭐️
376 days away, no stress 😤
Keely Hodgkinson clocks a time of 1:54.74 in the women's 800m for a new meeting record and world lead.#SilesiaDL | @keelyhodgkinson pic.twitter.com/o2yTGAEukm
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 16, 2025
'I think it just depends, like, when you're running those kinds of times you've really got to be on the pace. Point four out can cost you point four later on. So getting the first lap right is really important and coming into that second lap is really important.
'I wouldn't say it's off the cards, but we'll just have to see what the body is feeling.'
Just two women – Jarmila Kratochvilova and Nadezhda Olizarenko – have ever recorded times under one minute and 54 seconds. The former set the current world record of one minute and 53.28 seconds in 1983.
I have said before that I think 1:53 is possible (but) you've got to really get that right,' said Hodgkinson.
Keely Hodgkinson had not raced since winning gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics (Mike Egerton/PA)
'It's got to be a really good day. It's probably one of those one-off peak days where everything's gone right. It definitely would be an aim of mine. It would be a great achievement to be getting closer and closer to that 1:53. I do believe it's possible, but we'll just have to see what happens.'
Hodgkinson has less than a month remaining until the 800 metres heats begin at the world championships in Tokyo, where she hopes to back up her Olympic victory with her first world title.
She even has the name of the Japanese capital tattooed on her arm, in commemoration of the place where she made her Olympic debut – and collected a silver medal – in 2021.
Presser done ✔️
Athletes have given their thoughts and views. It's all eyes on the competition to come now 😮💨#LausanneDL 🇨🇭 #DiamondLeague 💎 pic.twitter.com/PSIrnX9Kj9
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) August 19, 2025
Hodgkinson's injury-plagued post-Olympic year began with a recurrence of a knee issue before she sustained a left hamstring tendon injury in February, then injured her right hamstring in May, though it was 'supposedly not as bad as the other one'.
The Atherton athlete and her team are now building speed back into her training – the injury, she revealed, is known as a 'sprinter's injury' – ahead of the global showdown.
She added: 'Things have gone really well. The body's a lot stronger, all I've done is train all year so I'm definitely in a really good place physically. It's just all about things coming together now and hopefully putting those mental blocks and barriers behind me.'
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Telegraph
11 minutes ago
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Keely Hodgkinson in perfect form for World Championships with latest runaway victory
Hodgkinson has been decimated by injury over the past year, but has lost none of her self-belief that left her promising in Paris that world records and more golds would follow. She had marked her return on Saturday in Silesia in stunning style, clocking a world-leading 1-54.74, the ninth-fastest women's 800m performance in history. The time on Wednesday night was slightly slower, but the tough conditions was undoubtedly a factor, with rivals left trailing on the final 100m. Hodgkinson has less than a month remaining until the 800m heats begin at the World Championships in Tokyo, where she hopes to back up her Olympic victory with her first world title. Her injury-plagued post-Olympic year began with a recurrence of a knee issue before she sustained a left hamstring tendon injury in February, then injured her right hamstring in May, though it was 'supposedly not as bad as the other one'. After the hamstring-related injury lay-off, there was no need for Hodgkinson to run quite as fast as her season debut in Poland last weekend. But she still looked sharp in wet and cool conditions, wiping Maria Mutola's 1-56.25 mark, in 2002, from the books. Hodgkinson, 23, had looked in control from the opening part of the race, sitting second behind the pacemaker at the bell, which she took in 56.04sec. With only Prudence Sekgodiso for company heading into the final 300 metres, Hodgkinson soon pulled clear of the South African to coast towards another impressive victory. For Hunter Bell, this race may prompt her to target the 800m, rather than the 1500m in Tokyo.
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
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Keely Hodgkinson smashes Lausanne Diamond League record in 800m victory
Keely Hodgkinson sent another ominous warning to her rivals ahead of next month's World Athletics Championships as she smashed the meeting record to win the 800m at the Lausanne Diamond League. In weather more akin to Manchester in October than a summer's night in Switzerland, Hodgkinson ran 1min 55.69sec to beat a quality field by 10 metres and win her second race in four days. True, the Olympic champion's time was nearly a second outside her staggering performance in Poland on Saturday, where she ran the ninth quickest in history. But in cool and wet conditions she still easily ran the second fastest time of the year. Audrey Werro of Switzerland took second in 1:57.34 after passing Hodgkinson's training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell, in the closing metres. But they were all in a different stratosphere to Hodgkinson, who wiped Maria Mutola's 1:56.25 previous record, set in 2002, from the record books. 'I couldn't have asked for a better start this season,' said Hodgkinson, who until Saturday had not raced for 376 days after suffering three hamstring tears in nine months. 'When the pace goes like that, you just forget about everyone else and it paid off with a solid performance.' Understandably Hunter Bell, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist, was more frustrated by her performance. 'It was a little cold and wet, but coming from England we can't really complain,' said Hunter Bell. 'I still wanted to run quicker.' Hunter Bell will announce whether she will run the 800m or 1500m at the world championships in Tokyo later this week. This race will not have made her decision any easier. Horse racing aficionados are well-acquainted with the Bounce Factor – the tendency for horses to run very well after an extended break and then to perform poorly on their second race back. But there was no sign of that with Hodgkinson. And this victory in Lausanne also sent a deeper message: you take on the world No 1 at your peril. As the world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso found out. The pacemaker Eveline Saalberg brought the field through 400m in a lightning quick 56.04, with the Briton a couple of strides back in second, before dropping out. At that point only Sekgodiso decided to go with the scorching pace that Hodgkinson was setting. And for a while it looked like she might give her something to think about as the pair went through 800m in 85sec. But in the last 200m the South African paid the price as her tank emptied and she slipped back from second to sixth, as Hodgkinson powered to victory. At one point there looked like being another British victory in the men's 800m, with Max Burgin leading a high-quality field in the final 50 metres. However as the rain lashed down, the American Josh Hoey struck for home to win in 1:42.82, with the Olympic champion, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, taking second. Burgin was fourth in 1:43.44. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion However two other Britons, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita, would not have been less enamoured with their performances in the women's 200m. Asher-Smith made a decent start but she was soon run down by the American Brittany Brown who won in 22.23sec, with Favour Ofili second. However despite a fast start, Asher-Smith could only finish fifth in 22.64 while Neita was seventh in 22.73. 'I am proud of how I ran today,' said Brown. 'The weather was not easy but I executed well. Consistency has been my focus, and I expected to see the results here after the work I've put in.' Meanwhile in the men's 100m, the Olympic champion, Noah Lyles, suffered another defeat as he was beaten by Jamaica's Oblique Seville. In driving rain, Seville produced the performance of the night to win in 9.87sec, with Lyles second in 10.02. It was the American's second defeat in four days, after losing to another Jamaican, Kishane Thompson, on Saturday.
South Wales Guardian
40 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Keely Hodgkinson eases to victory in Lausanne
Hodgkinson, who has been recovering from a hamstring injury, returned after a 376-day absence in Silesia last weekend to set a world-leading run of one minute and 54.74 seconds, just behind her own national record. With the World Championships in Tokyo coming up next month, Hodgkinson laid down another marker as she made a strong finish in wet conditions to set a new meeting record of 1:55.69. Meeting record for @keelyhodgkinson! The 🇬🇧 star continues her comeback with an impressive 1:55.69 in the rain at #LausanneDL🇨🇭 #DiamondLeague📷 @chiaramontesan2 — Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) August 20, 2025 Hunter Bell had been in second place down the home straight but faded in the closing metres as Switzerland's Audrey Werro ran her down to clock 1:57.55. Hodgkinson, 23, had looked in control from the opening part of the race, sitting second behind the pacemaker at the bell, which she took in 56.04 seconds. With only Prudence Sekgodiso for company heading into the final 300m, Hodgkinson soon pulled clear of the South African to coast towards another impressive victory. '(I feel) a little bit relieved,' Hodgkinson told BBC World Service Sport. 'I felt like this race was definitely going to be more of a challenge, but taking on a pace like that you've just got to run and forget about everybody else. 'I'm glad it paid off. I feel like I've really backed up my 1:54 with a solid 1:55. We are seeing improvements all the time, so I'm happy.' Just try and stop them 👊 Keely Hodgkinson clocks in a time of 1:55.69 in the women's 800m for a new meeting record 👏 With Georgia Hunter Bell following closely behind in a time of 1:57.55 🙌#LausanneDL — British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 20, 2025 Hodgkinson added: 'I couldn't have asked for a better start – I'm a bit in shock myself. I train well, I train really hard for moments like this, but when it all comes together it makes it extra special. '(My coach) Trevor (Painter) said to me a few weeks ago 'you are actually ahead of schedule. I wanted you to be here by the time we are in Tokyo', so to be here now is amazing. 'Hopefully we can stay healthy and build on top of what we've got, and let's see what can happen.' Hodgkinson's training partner Hunter Bell, meanwhile, must now decide whether to have another crack at the 800m in Tokyo or focus on the 1,500m where she would be looking to add to her Olympic bronze medal from Paris. 'I wanted a bit quicker but it was hard today, hard to recover from the race a few days ago,' she said. 'I don't know (what distance), I'm going to decide this week. I'm running out of time to make a decision. Every day I change my mind.' Conditions worsened as the events went on, with Elise Thorner (9:21.74) finishing fifth in the women's 3,000m steeplechase, which was run through a downpour. Morgan Lake placed fifth in the women's high jump following three failures at 1.91 metres. With the run-up so wet, Ukraine's Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh decided to retire after two missed attempts. In the women's 200m, Dina Asher-Smith (22.64) was fifth and Daryll Neita (22.73) seventh, with American Brittany Brown winning in 22.23 secs. A first ever #DiamondLeague win for Josh Hoey! A rare defeat for @Olympics champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the 800m as Hoey kicks past him to clock 1:42.82.#LausanneDL🇨🇭 📷 @chiaramontesan2 — Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) August 20, 2025 In the men's 800m, Max Burgin attacked around the final bend but then faded over the closing stages as he finish fourth in 1.43.44. Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi lost out to American Josh Hoey. Alastair Chalmers ran 49.92secs as he was fifth in the men's 400m hurdles. Men's 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles came second as Jamaica's Oblique Seville clocked 9.87secs, with Britain's Zharnel Hughes fifth in 10.09.
