Keely Hodgkinson in perfect form for World Championships with latest runaway victory
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.
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