Keely Hodgkinson has hit back at critics who have suggested she's had a poor season on the track. The 2024 Olympic gold medallist eased into the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 800m final in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday night.
Season of setbacks
The 24-year-old has endured her difficulties this year. In August, she skipped the final rounds of the Diamond League and the final in Brussels due to hamstring discomfort.
Earlier this year, she stepped away from the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships due to unexpected muscle tightness. Hodgkinson also suffered a fall during a training session that left her with bruised and cut knees prior to a July race in Eugene, Oregon.
The track star suffered disappointment at the 2026 European Athletics Championships, too. Her rival, Swiss star Audrey Werro, ran a championship-record time of 1:54.81 forcing Hodgkinson to settle for silver.
Hodgkinson's response
Speaking after she claimed a place in Saturday night's 800m final, it was put to her that her season is not as disappointing as some are presuming.
"It's not been bad at all," she told Athletics Weekly. "You've got to have perspective. People were saying that two years ago... I know my standards are high and the expectations are very high, and that's okay."
"Sometimes, life doesn't go your way and I'm doing the best with what I've been dealt with but I'm actually really proud. I'm really happy to be here and look forward to tomorrow."
Strong performances
While slightly below Hodgkinson's lofty standards, her season has been far from all doom and gloom. In February, she improved on her own British 800m record, setting a time of 1:56.33 at the British Indoor Championships. She later eclipsed that time days later, running 1:54.87, in Lievin, France.
In March, Hodgkinson won gold in the 800m at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the second-fastest indoor time in history. She stormed into the final on Friday night, recording a time of 1:57.57, nearly one full second faster than second-place Addison Wiley.
However, Swiss runner Veronica Vancardo, suffered a brutal tumble during the race after being tripped by Italian star Eloisa Coiro.
Hodgkinson told BBC Sport afterwards: "This season we've had a fair share of people falling over, but she's still got all her teeth so she'll be ok. That's one of my worst nightmares, touchwood it hasn't happened to me so far. She should be okay. It's part of racing unfortunately."
On her performance, she added: "I'm happy with that, I'm glad to be back running. It was a lot of fun. I just wanted to get through and complete it. It's been a month since I last raced so it's nice to get that run out through the legs, hopefully go a bit better tomorrow."
Hodgkinson will have to beat eight competitors if she wants to win in Budapest. Driving her on will be her desire to beat Werro, with the 2026 European champion also set to run in tonight's final.
