Keely Hodgkinson cruised into the semi-finals of the World Indoor Championships in Torun, winning her 800m heat in 2 minutes 0.32 seconds. However, the overwhelming favourite for gold revealed that her preparations were disrupted after airline KLM lost her kit for 48 hours on the flight to Poland.
Hodgkinson was forced to train in borrowed spikes, which gave her a blister. 'It came last night, thank God. I was starting to get annoyed. A very nice Polish girl let me borrow her spikes, and they gave me a blister. I just didn’t have any kit or my supplements. But it’s all good now,' she said.
The 24-year-old, who broke the world indoor 800m record last month, admitted she dislikes racing three times in three days. 'I just don’t like rounds. I don’t like them at all. That was horrible, to be honest. When you’re so used to training at a certain rhythm you just have to make sure you get through the rounds, conserve energy and not fall over.'
Hodgkinson is aiming for her first world title. 'Obviously I want to get gold. I won’t be happy with anything else. I’ve had a season so far that’s been amazing, let’s hope it continues,' she said. She also expressed relief at being able to compete after missing three previous world indoors through injury.
Britain’s Isabelle Boffey also advanced as a fastest loser, while Swiss athlete Audrey Werro, Hodgkinson’s main rival, won her heat in 1:59.91. In the men’s 800m, Britain’s Ben Pattison and American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus progressed. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the first gold of the championships in the high jump with 2.01m, wearing blue and yellow eye makeup to highlight Russia's aggression.
