Keely Hodgkinson has received an overwhelming wave of support after disclosing that a severe fall left her unable to walk just days before competing in a Diamond League race. The Olympic 800m champion finished second behind Kenya's Lilian Odira on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, marking her second consecutive loss in the competition.
Injury Details and Candid Admission
The 24-year-old Briton drew attention during the race as spectators noticed heavy strapping and visible cuts and bruises on her knees. Speaking after her runner-up finish, Hodgkinson was refreshingly candid about her performance while revealing the extent of her injuries. She said: "It's shocking, to be honest. It was not good, it's been a bit of a week. My knees [are] taped up, I took a bad fall last week [and] four days ago I couldn't even walk, so I guess I should take that into consideration but I wanted a lot more than that."
Social Media Outpouring
The Atherton-born athlete then shared a series of photos on Instagram, including one showing her lying in a medical room with the bruising on her knees clearly visible. Her caption read: "Forward motion." That led to an outpouring of support from athletes and the general public who left encouraging comments. One person wrote: "You've got this." A second said: "You will come back stronger." While others showered the athlete with love heart emojis.
Race Performance and Season Challenges
Hodgkinson recorded a time of 1:56.73 in Eugene, with Odira completing the distance in 1:56.19. The Brit was considerably off the pace compared to the British record she established in June (1:54.33), which proved insufficient to finish ahead of winner Audrey Werro. It has been a challenging season for Hodgkinson, who was forced to withdraw from the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championship last month, citing a "little twinge" as her reason for pulling out.
Strategic Shift and World Record Ambitions
She originally caught attention with her decision to start testing herself at a shorter distance. Taking on the 400m forms part of Hodgkinson's strategy to enhance her first-lap pace and potentially shatter the 800m world record this summer. The record is currently held by former Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova, who clocked the distance in 1:53.28 in 1983, which remains the longest-standing world record in athletics.
Upcoming London Diamond League
Despite her injuries, Hodgkinson is still anticipated to pursue the achievement at the London Diamond League on July 18th. The event will be a key opportunity for her to bounce back and demonstrate her resilience after a stop-start season.
