Keely Hodgkinson has insisted that her surprise defeat to Swiss runner Audrey Werro in Stockholm will fuel her pursuit of the world 800m record this summer. The British Olympic champion ran a personal best of 1:54.33, but was beaten by Werro's stunning 1:53.98, the third-fastest time in history.
Werro's time places her behind only Jarmila Kratochvilova (1:53.28, 1983) and Nadezhda Olizarenko (1:53.43, 1980) on the all-time list. Hodgkinson, 24, admitted she had not done specific 800m training, focusing instead on 400m speed and 1500m stamina, but said the defeat would motivate her.
“I really work well with a little bit of anger and motivation,” Hodgkinson said. “The world record is still my goal in London next month. I still believe I can do it.” She added that breaking the record alone is difficult, and that the race would be a “pivotal moment”.
Werro, 22, said she was “still in shock” and now believes the world record can fall this year. Meanwhile, 17-year-old American Cooper Lutkenhaus made a stunning Diamond League debut, winning the men's 800m in 1:42.70, the fastest time in the world this year.
Britain's Amy Hunt broke the 11-second barrier for 100m, running 10.97 to finish second. In the pole vault, Sweden's Mondo Duplantis failed to break his own world record, managing only 5.80m as Australia's Kurtis Marschall took victory.
