Hodgkinson Shatters British Indoor 800m Record in Birmingham
Keely Hodgkinson led the 800m field by nine seconds at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham.
The 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist from 2024 set a new British indoor 800m record during the heats on Saturday, recording a time of 1:56.33. This performance surpassed her previous national record by nearly one second.
Her time marked the fastest indoor women's 800m in 24 years and ranks as the third-fastest ever recorded.
Hodgkinson had announced prior to the event that she would not participate in Sunday's final due to an upcoming race in France scheduled for Thursday. She described her record-breaking run as "a personal challenge." The Midlands event serves as a qualifier for the World Indoor Championships, which will take place in Poland from 20-22 March.
"I had to come to qualify for the Worlds and that is why I was only doing one round," she said.
"But it was a good test. It is three years since I ran indoors, so I knew I had to go out there and stay focused.
"We didn't set out to run a world lead, but I started well and just kept it going. It was a nice surprise. It was a really strong day."
Hodgkinson Targets World Indoor Record
When asked about her ambition to surpass Jolanda Ceplak's indoor world record of 1:55.82 set in 2002, Hodgkinson expressed confidence in her ability to challenge the mark.
"I have been very vocal in the past about wanting to get it.
"I feel like it is my record to break. We'll give it a good go."
Asher-Smith Claims Women's 60m Title with Championship Record
Dina Asher-Smith delivered an impressive performance on the first day of the championships in Birmingham, winning the women's 60m title in 7.05 seconds. She finished a tenth of a second ahead of Amy Hunt, setting a new championship record.
"I had been feeling great for this entire indoor season," the 30-year-old said after her victory.
"Sometimes you just have to be patient, get race-sharp and wait for the times to come."
Dina Asher-Smith finished a tenth of a second ahead of Amy Hunt
Other Notable Performances at the Championships
In the men's 60m, world and European indoor champion Jeremiah Azu, aged 24, successfully defended his UK title, finishing with a season's best time of 6.56 seconds.
Molly Caudery reclaimed the women's pole vault title by clearing 4.65 meters, while Owen Heard secured the men's pole vault championship with a clearance of 5.55 meters.
Lucy Hadaway won the women's long jump with a leap of 6.45 meters, and Tito Odunaike triumphed in the men's triple jump with a mark of 15.45 meters.
In the women's 60m hurdles, Abigail Pawlett achieved a personal best of 8.05 seconds to claim victory, while Daniel Goriola won the men's event with a season's best of 7.78 seconds.
In para events, Madeline Down won the women's 60m final in 8.24 seconds, and Kevin Santos took the men's title with a time of 6.93 seconds.
Coverage of day two of the UK Indoor Athletics Championships will be available on Sunday via BBC , the website, and app starting at 11:20 GMT.
Elaine Thompson-Herah Returns to Competition
Five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah made her competitive return in Jamaica, finishing third in a 60m race in Kingston. This was her first race since June 2024.
The 33-year-old, who missed the 2024 Paris Olympics due to an Achilles tendon injury, completed the race in 7.24 seconds.
Thompson-Herah previously won 100m and 200m gold medals at Rio 2016 and secured 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay gold at Tokyo 2020. However, she had not competed in an individual international event since the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she earned bronze in the 100m and silver in the 4x100m relay.
