Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has expressed her lack of curiosity in signing with Grand Slam Observe (GST), the brand new, profitable rival to the Diamond League, in response to The Normal. The British athlete plans to give attention to operating quick occasions and profitable medals in 2025, selecting to forgo the prospect to compete for the big US$400,000 prize purse awarded for profitable all 4 GST conferences.
Hodgkinson nonetheless hopes to take part within the circuit as one of many 4 Challengers invited to compete. (Signed athletes are known as Racers). Michael Johnson, the creator of GST, plans to pick these athletes primarily based on their velocity and recognition, whereas aiming to gasoline current rivalries. Challengers have one shot on the US$100,000 prize provided at every Slam, whereas Racers, who’re already assured base compensation upon signing, compete for the beneficiant purse 4 occasions.
“I believe it’s nice what [Johnson’s] doing, I simply don’t really feel prefer it’s for me subsequent 12 months,” Hodgkinson stated. “I suppose we’ll see the place the league goes after that. However I sit up for hopefully doing one.”
Hodgkinson can be slated to race in opposition to her frequent rival, 2023 world champion and 600m world document holder Mary Moraa. She would additionally face Olympic 1,500m silver medallist Jessica Hull and American mile document holder Nikki Hiltz, who spherical out the short-distance occasion roster.
Required to (virtually) double her distance
The league requires every athlete to take part in two occasions at every Slam; falling into the quick distance class, Hodgkinson would race the 800m and 1,500m. Whereas the Brit is much less conversant in the latter, she would want to race the three-and-three-quarter-lap occasion 4 occasions throughout GST’s inaugural season.
An obligation to race eight occasions over 4 weekends and splitting her focus between two occasions doesn’t line up with Hodgkinson’s said 2025 season objectives. Though she referred to as her season early as a result of an damage after profitable gold in Paris, Hodgkinson already has her eyes on beating her private finest and incomes extra gold {hardware} from subsequent 12 months’s indoor European championships, and indoor and outside world championships.
“It takes a particular race”
“I do assume the 1:53 is feasible,” Hodgkinson, who holds a private better of 1:54.61, informed The Normal. “I believe we’re so near getting down there, however clearly it takes a particular race. You’ve received to be in good form, good situations, the proper race for all that to return collectively. I’ll positively put myself in one of the best place to take action.”
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Different main names lacking from the GST roster embody Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson. At the moment, 43 of 48 athletes have signed with the league as Racers.