Keely Hodgkinson sets new indoor 800m world record
British athlete Keely Hodgkinson has set a new world record in the women’s 800m indoor, smashing the previous time by almost a second, reports BritPanorama.
Hodgkinson crossed the finish line in 1:54.88 in Lievin, France. The previous record was held by Slovenia’s Jolanda Ceplak, set on the day Hodgkinson was born nearly 24 years ago, and had stood since March 3, 2002.
This achievement comes just days after the 23-year-old broke her own British indoor 800m record at the UK Indoor Championships in Birmingham by nearly a second. Following her record-setting race, Hodgkinson expressed her joy, saying, “Thank god. That was really fun, I was really looking forward to this.”
With this latest triumph, Hodgkinson joins triple jumper Jonathan Edwards as the only British athlete currently holding world records in championship events. Her success follows a challenging 2025 season marked by two significant hamstring injuries that hindered her earlier attempts to chase the record at her own Keely Klassic meeting last February.
During the race, Hodgkinson passed the 400m mark ahead of schedule, clocking 55.56 seconds, before surging ahead of a strong field, which included Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma from Ethiopia and Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who had previously been the fastest woman in the year before Hodgkinson’s success. Throughout the event, she maintained her pace by tracking the green wavelights marking record speed.
As Hodgkinson continues to redefine her limits, this latest feat not only underscores her determination but serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of elite athletics. In a sport where seconds and fractions can dictate fate, her record-setting run adds another thrilling chapter to the rich narrative of British middle-distance running.
