Olympic 800m champion “completely gutted” to make late withdrawal from world indoor file try in Birmingham
A tearful Keely Hodgkinson has been pressured to tug out of the Keely Klassic (February 15) attributable to a hamstring harm.
Throughout her last 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 will likely 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 gained’t lie – after I obtained the information this afternoon, I shed a tear,” Hodgkinson stated. “I’ve labored so arduous for this second and was in one of the best form of my life. I’m completely gutted that I gained’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 all the time about showcasing British expertise, creating one thing new for the game and bringing extra vitality and leisure to athletics. That’s one thing I’m dedicated to for the long run.
“I’ll be in Birmingham on Saturday doing every little thing I can to verify it’s a tremendous evening for the athletes and the followers. I need to assist create an actual competition ambiance, interact with as many younger folks as doable, and hopefully encourage the following technology to fall in love with monitor 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 outdoor (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 nevertheless it simply hasn’t fairly come out, and that’s simply the fact 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 a superb go in entrance of a house crowd.”
Again in December, Hodgkinson was topped BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months, the primary particular person from athletics to realize the feat since Mo Farah in 2017. Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, who prepare Hodgkinson at M11 Monitor Membership, have been additionally named as BBC Sports activities Character Coaches of the 12 months.
Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows (Tim Adams)
Count on quite a few British file makes an attempt on the Keely Klassic
Though Hodgkinson’s withdrawal is a blow, quite a few British athletes will nonetheless be aiming to interrupt nationwide indoor information 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 season, Bell recorded a time of three:52.61 on her option to the rostrum on the Stade de France, bettering Muir’s outside file of three:53.79 from the Paris Diamond League.
After that unbelievable 12 months 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 Steadiness Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, she adopted it up with victory within the Wanamaker Mile on the Millrose Video games, changing into simply the fourth British feminine athlete in historical past to win the celebrated trophy.
In the meantime, within the girls’s 300m on the Keely Klassic, Lina Nielsen will look to raised 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 12 months later.
Lina Nielsen (Getty)
Callum Dodds, who recorded an outright 800m private better of 1:47.79 in Spain final weekend, is concentrating 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 present ranked sixth on the UK indoor all-time record.
Neil Gourley (Getty)
The boys’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. Nevertheless, 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 ultimately 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 leap 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 leap all-time record.
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 last 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 faculty relays.
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