Keely Hodgkinson will not adopt the same tactics Josh Kerr used before breaking the mile world record last month ahead of her appearance at the European Athletics Championship.
Her fellow Team GB star Kerr recently made history at the Diamond League in London by shattering the 27-year mile record with a time of 3:42.66. Kerr, 28, had announced his decision to go after the mile world record months before achieving the feat.
But Hodgkinson has a very different approach while still aiming for gold in the 800m in Birmingham over the next week. The middle-distance star, who won silver at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and gold at the Paris 2024 Games, is refusing to put pressure on herself in the same way.
Doing things her own way
Instead, the 24-year-old has highlighted how she will look to do things in her own way, which is by staying relaxed and never looking too far ahead.
Hodgkinson said: "Every athlete has to find what works for them. That approach obviously works for Josh. He doesn't race very often and competes when he's ready.
"I don't race that often either, but I'm at my best when I'm relaxed and enjoying myself. That's my priority, and whatever comes from that comes from that.
"I don't even know what I'm doing next week, never mind in five months. That's just not how I work."
That same mentality has helped her break several records herself. In February, she became the first woman in history to break the sub-1:55 barrier indoors, smashing the 800m indoor world record. Hodgkinson had already set a 600m indoor record in Manchester back in January 2023.
Facing new challenges
Her mindset may prove useful again at the Europeans as she is no longer the favourite to secure gold. That title belongs to Swiss star Audrey Werro following her stellar form this season, where she became only the third athlete in history to run a sub-one minute 54-second 800m after beating the Team GB star in Stockholm at the start of June, before repeating the feat in Paris three weeks later.
Hodgkinson spent the final stretch before the Europeans at a training camp in Portugal. Her summer was derailed by a fall in training onto a metal grate that left her with cuts and bruises for the race in Eugene, Oregon, where world champion Lilian Odira had got the better of her. By the time she secured her first Diamond League win of the season last month in London, the bandages had finally gone.
Looking ahead, Hodgkinson said: "Birmingham is the important part now, so I'm really looking forward to it. Championship racing is very different from the circuit. It'll probably be three rounds in three days, which is completely different. There'll be no pacing, times don't matter, it's all about championship racing and handling pressure.
"I know my training is in a really good place. I've always said I get a lot of my confidence from training because I know what I'm capable of. Championship racing is just a different mindset.
"On the circuit everyone's chasing times, but at championships it's a blank slate. I've gone in ranked number one and not won, and I've gone in ranked eighth and come away with a medal. That's what makes it exciting."
