Keely Hodgkinson has dismissed a bizarre rumour that she was paid £200,000 by close friend Georgia Hunter Bell to skip the Commonwealth Games, giving her a better chance at gold.
The Olympic icon has had to deal with such speculation as she returns to action at the European Athletics Championships. It's a key reason the 24-year-old stays off social media as much as possible.
Commonwealth absence explained
Hodgkinson was not named in England's squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, instead focusing on the European Championships in Birmingham, where she could face Swiss rival Audrey Werro.
A TikTok message claimed Hodgkinson skipped the Games for financial gain, with Hunter Bell allegedly paying her £200,000 to not race. Hunter Bell went on to win 800m gold in Glasgow, but Hodgkinson has laughed off the claim.
She told The Telegraph: "I thought, 'Well I didn't get that money so where the f*** is it?' People make up stuff. We just laugh. It's a strange world we live in sometimes."
Title defence and rivalry
Both Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell compete in Birmingham this month, but in different events: Hodgkinson over 800m, Hunter Bell over 1,500m.
Hodgkinson, a recent Diamond League winner in London, has won gold at the last two European Championships in Munich (2022) and Rome (2024). This year, however, she faces a tougher test with Werro's emergence, who became the first woman in over four decades to break 1:54 in the 800m earlier in 2026.
Their rivalry has grown in recent months, setting up a potential showdown in Birmingham. Hodgkinson also has to contend with Femke Broeders-Bol of the Netherlands, who has switched from 400m hurdles to 800m and looks a medal contender.
