Keely Hodgkinson had to settle for bronze in the 800 metres at the World Championships in Tokyo, as Kenya’s Lilian Odira claimed a shock gold and Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell took silver. Hodgkinson, who has battled three hamstring injuries and a 376-day enforced break from racing, ran 1:54.91, her third-fastest time, but was pipped to silver by just 0.01 seconds by her teammate and training partner.
Odira, the world No 17, won in a personal best of 1:54.62, dedicating her gold to her two young sons. Hodgkinson admitted she felt under-raced, having competed only twice this year before Tokyo, and revealed a stomach bug had affected her. “It’s been an absolute shit show, honestly,” she said.
The race saw a fast early pace set by Kenya’s Mary Moraa, with Hodgkinson moving into the lead on the home straight. However, Odira swept past in the final metres, and Hunter Bell also edged ahead in the dip. Hodgkinson said: “I thought I had it. I didn’t sense the other Kenyan coming on the outside. In the last five metres, my legs were falling off.”
UK Athletics performance director Paula Dunn revealed Hodgkinson had been unwell for several days but insisted on competing. “Keely could quite easily have not come,” Dunn said. “For her to put reputation on the line, to run unwell with minimal races, is amazing.”
The result marked the first time two Britons had made the podium in a global middle-distance race since the 1984 Olympic 1500m. Hunter Bell, who added 800m silver to her 1500m bronze from Paris, said: “Yeah, well, that’s racing.”
Britain finished the championships without a gold for the first time in 22 years, placing 21st in the medal table. Dunn cited injuries to key athletes and underwhelming relays as factors, adding: “It’s a time to reset.”
