Keely Hodgkinson in ‘shape of her life’ with eye on Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 800m record

TORUN – Keely Hodgkinson’s rivals will be grateful there are no world outdoor championships or Olympic Games this season, as the Briton boasted of being in “the shape of her life” after wrapping up the world indoor 800m gold.

The 24-year-old left the competition for dead in an impressive gun-to-tape performance at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on March 22 that saw her win in a blistering 1min 55.30sec.

Her time was not only a championship record but also the second-fastest time run over the distance indoors, with Hodgkinson herself having set a new world indoor 800m record in February.

All eyes will now turn to her plans for the outdoor season, which offers European and Commonwealth titles on home soil and ends with the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September.

Given her new world indoor record, there is the mouth-watering possibility of a potential tilt at the oldest world record in athletics – the 1min 53.28sec for the outdoor 800m set by Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia in 1983.

“It feels so, so nice being able to run and win. This is my first world title,” said Hodgkinson, whose victory came fast on the heels of training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell’s triumph in the women’s 1,500m.

“I have been in so many finals, I have been a favourite so many times and I had not won, so to do that and prove to myself that I can do it, remove the pressure and win the gold, it’s nice,” she said, having accrued 11 international medals but also been denied three times at the world outdoor event, winning two silvers and a bronze.

“My word this year has been ‘domination’ – so when I’m in the shape of my life, why leave it to chance? If you want to beat me, you’re going to have to work hard. I never, ever go down without a fight.”

Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell are coached by the husband-and-wife team of Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, who has won the world outdoor bronze (2009) and indoor silver (2010) over 800m.

“Me and Georgia, we work hard and we push each other at every practice – we are both in the shape of our lives,” Hodgkinson said.

“It’s great to have someone who can challenge me in training. I am really grateful for our friendship, our rivalry and our training.”

“I had no doubts about Georgia. She’s an incredible athlete. We’ve both been training so well, and we’ve just enjoyed everything. We can work so well together, and we have an amazing friendship,” she added.

After her dominant 800m victory, Hodgkinson was soon back on the track as part of Britain’s 4x400m relay team in the final event of the championships.

Running the anchor leg, she had been left too much to do to push for the podium and the team eventually finished fifth.

But tellingly, Hodgkinson produced the quickest leg of any athlete in the event with a 50.10sec split.

“I am actually so impressed with myself about that. I really wanted to do it!” said the Briton, who announced herself on the international stage by winning a first major title at the European indoor championships in Torun in 2021, before going on to claim silver on her Olympic debut in Tokyo later that summer.

“I wouldn’t have gone for the 4x400 if I didn’t think I had it in my legs... I wouldn’t do something if I didn’t think I was capable.”

Hodgkinson added: “I managed to have such a clean winter with no interruption.

“It has been such a fun few days. I’m really grateful to be here and to be healthy. I’m glad I could show what I know I can do.”

The other standout performer on March 22 also came in the 800m, when 17-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus became the youngest athlete to win a men’s individual title at the world indoor championships.

He came home ahead of Belgium’s Eliott Crestan to win in a time of 1:44.24. The previous record for the youngest male champion was held by Ethiopian Mohammed Aman, who was 18 years and 61 days when he won gold in the world indoor 800m event in 2012.

“I came out here thinking I probably wasn’t the favourite, but any time I feel like I can step into a final, I have a chance to win,” the American said. AFP, REUTERS