Olympic 800m champion “completely gutted” to make late withdrawal from world indoor file try in Birmingham
A tearful Keely Hodgkinson has been pressured to drag out of the Keely Klassic (February 15) on account of a hamstring harm.
Throughout her remaining coaching session earlier than the occasion that bears her title, the Olympic 800m champion skilled some soreness in her hamstring. A scan later revealed a problem meaning she shall be unable to race this weekend.
The setback means Hodgkinson is now a doubt for the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn (March 6-9), though she nonetheless hasn’t given up on her ambition of competing on the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing (March 21-23).
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
“I received’t lie – after I received the information this afternoon, I shed a tear,” Hodgkinson stated. “I’ve labored so onerous for this second and was in one of the best form of my life. I’m completely gutted that I received’t be capable of race for the followers, particularly after so many have purchased tickets to see me attempt to break the world file.
“However this occasion was by no means nearly me – it was at all times about showcasing British expertise, creating one thing new for the game and bringing extra power and leisure to athletics. That’s one thing I’m dedicated to for the long run.
“I’ll be in Birmingham on Saturday doing all the things I can to verify it’s a tremendous evening for the athletes and the followers. I wish to assist create an actual competition environment, have interaction with as many younger individuals as potential, and hopefully encourage the subsequent era to fall in love with observe and area.”
Hodgkinson had been aiming to interrupt the world indoor 800m file on Saturday in what would have been her first race since securing Olympic gold in Paris.
The 22-year-old’s goal was Jolanda Čeplak’s 1:55.82, which was set by the Slovenian athlete on March 3, 2002 – the identical day Hodgkinson was born.
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
The British 800m record-holder each indoors (1:57.18) and open air (1:54.61), had dearly wished to create one other piece of historical past by including that world indoor mark to her CV.
“It’s a file that I’ve been after for a few years now,” Hodgkinson completely instructed AW in our February journal. “I’ve been within the form to do it earlier than however it simply hasn’t fairly come out, and that’s simply the truth of the game.
“I do really feel prefer it’s mine for the taking, as a result of it was set on the precise date that I used to be born. I’d simply love to have the ability to give it an excellent go in entrance of a house crowd.”
Again in December, Hodgkinson was topped BBC Sports activities Persona of the Yr, the primary individual from athletics to realize the feat since Mo Farah in 2017. Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, who practice Hodgkinson at M11 Observe Membership, have been additionally named as BBC Sports activities Persona Coaches of the Yr.
Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows (Tim Adams)
Count on a lot of British file makes an attempt on the Keely Klassic
Though Hodgkinson’s withdrawal is a blow, a lot of British athletes will nonetheless be aiming to interrupt nationwide indoor data in Birmingham.
Georgia Bell, who secured the Olympic 1500m bronze medal in Paris, desires to interrupt Laura Muir’s nationwide indoor mark of three:59.58.
Final summer time, Bell recorded a time of three:52.61 on her approach to the rostrum on the Stade de France, bettering Muir’s outside file of three:53.79 from the Paris Diamond League.
After that unimaginable yr the 31-year-old, who beforehand balanced her coaching with a full-time job in cybersecurity, has now shut down the laptop computer and turned to athletics on a full-time foundation.
Georgia Bell (Getty)
Additionally coached by Painter and Meadows, Bell lately returned from a coaching camp in South Africa and is now into the complete swing of the indoor season.
After impressing over 3000m on the New Stability Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, she adopted it up with victory within the Wanamaker Mile on the Millrose Video games, turning into simply the fourth British feminine athlete in historical past to win the distinguished trophy.
In the meantime, within the girls’s 300m on the Keely Klassic, Lina Nielsen will look to higher Dina Asher-Smith’s British indoor mark of 36.77.
Asher-Smith recorded that point at altitude in Albuquerque final February, with Nielsen’s private greatest over the space indoors being the 37.35 she ran in 2022.
That mark was the nationwide indoor file on the time, earlier than Jodie Williams clocked 37.24 in Iowa a yr later.
Lina Nielsen (Getty)
Callum Dodds, who recorded an outright 800m private better of 1:47.79 in Spain final weekend, is focusing on the British indoor 600m file on Saturday.
The present mark is held by Tom Staines, who ran 1:15.31 in Albuquerque six years in the past.
Dodds boasts a better of 1:16.46 over the space and is at the moment ranked sixth on the UK indoor all-time listing.
Neil Gourley (Getty)
The lads’s 1000m was billed to be a British indoor file try from Jake Wightman however the 2022 world 1500m champion pulled out of the occasion with a knee harm. Nonetheless, Neil Gourley – the 2023 European indoor 1500m silver medallist – is within the line-up and will doubtlessly threaten Charlie Grice’s 2:17.20 from New York in 2020.
Gourley, who has an indoor 1000m private greatest of two:18.68, additionally ran his quickest ever indoor mile eventually week’s Millrose Video games, clocking 3:49.22 in New York.
Jacob Fincham-Dukes, off the again of his 8.18m leap in Albuquerque, is the headline title within the males’s lengthy bounce on the Keely Klassic.
Having positioned fifth on the Olympics, he’s now second behind Greg Rutherford’s 8.26m on the British indoor lengthy bounce all-time listing.
Molly Caudery (Getty)
British pole vault record-holder and world indoor champion Molly Caudery can even hope to impress on the Utilita Area.
With the heartbreak of lacking out on the Olympic pole vault remaining now effectively behind her, she opened up her 2025 season with a 4.75m clearance in Karlsruhe final week. Caudery’s British file is 4.92m.
There can even be a variety of different occasions on present, together with the flat sprints and dash hurdles, para occasions and college relays.
Get your tickets right here
» Subscribe to AW journal right here, take a look at our new podcast right here or signal as much as our digital archive of again points from 1945 to the current day right here