Keely Hodgkinson delivered an impressive performance by achieving the ninth-fastest time in the 800m event after a 376-day hiatus from racing. Her remarkable comeback solidified her position as a top contender for the upcoming World Championships.
Returning from a series of hamstring injuries, the Olympic champion set a time of 1:54.74 in Silesia, just 0.15 seconds short of her national record established in London the previous summer. This time was nearly two seconds faster than the closest performance in 2025 so far, which was 1:56.64 by Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma in May, establishing Hodgkinson as the frontrunner to upgrade her silver medals to gold in Tokyo.
Hodgkinson’s next race will be in Lausanne, where she will compete alongside her training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell, who holds the third-fastest time in the 800m this season. Following this event, Hodgkinson plans to focus on training for the upcoming World Championships.
Expressing her joy after the race, Hodgkinson stated, “I was just happy to step on the track after more than a year. As I got closer to the race I got more and more relaxed. I enjoyed the feeling of the race. I planned to run a fast time because I do not have five races anymore before Tokyo. I only have today and the meeting in Lausanne. So it had to be fast, and I am happy that it worked.”
In a separate event, Hunter-Bell finished third in the 1500m and is contemplating participating in both the 800m and 1500m races at the Worlds. Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay secured victory in the 1500m with a time of 3:50.62, while Hunter-Bell crossed the finish line in 3:56.0.
Notably, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita failed to secure top positions in the 200m event, while Jamaican athlete Kishane Thompson outpaced Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the men’s 100m by clocking a joint meet record of 9.87 seconds.
