Charlotte Henrich, a 19-year-old Welsh 400m runner, deleted her Instagram account to maintain her composure before a showdown with Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson at the UK Athletics Championships. The strategy worked: Henrich defeated Hodgkinson in the heats and went on to claim bronze in the final.
Henrich beats Olympic champion in heats
At the UK Athletics Championships held in Birmingham on 20 and 21 June, Henrich faced Hodgkinson in the 400m heats. Despite Hodgkinson's status as the reigning Olympic 800m gold medallist from Paris 2024 and world indoor champion, Henrich finished ahead of her, securing second place in the heat while Hodgkinson came third. Henrich later admitted she was anxious before the race, even deleting Instagram to avoid seeing predictions and news about Hodgkinson's switch to the 400m.
“It's scary, not going to lie, to be lining up with an Olympic champion right behind you,” Henrich told the BBC. “All I had to do was run my own race and kind of ignore it. Before it was like, 'Pretend the crowd is cheering for you.' I actually deleted Instagram so I wouldn't see the predictions [for the race] and stuff like that. Then I kept getting these news reports, like 'Keely does the 400,' I don't want to see this! I'm so stressed! But it's nice to get that done and get the win.”
Henrich breaks Welsh record in final
In the 400m final, Henrich ran a time of 50.58 seconds, smashing a 44-year-old Welsh record. World indoor champion Amber Anning won the title in 50.16 seconds after a false start gave her a second chance. Hodgkinson did not compete in the final, having withdrawn earlier.
Hodgkinson withdraws with injury concern
Hodgkinson pulled out of the final before the race, leaving the track in tears. She later issued a statement explaining her decision: “I wasn't feeling 100 per cent standing on the start line, so I made the tough decision to step away and not race. I didn't want to risk anything ahead of this summer.” On Instagram, she posted: “Leaving champs healthy! Sometimes the hard decision is saying no, body wasn't feeling 100 [per cent], exciting summer ahead.” The BBC commentary team reported that Hodgkinson's coach, Jenny Meadows, said the athlete felt “a little twinge in her last strides before the race.”
Next steps for Hodgkinson
Assuming a smooth recovery, Hodgkinson is expected to compete next at the Eugene Diamond League in Oregon on 4 July, where she will run her preferred 800m event. She continues to pursue her goal of breaking Jarmila Kratochvilova's women's world record in the 800m.
