Keely Hodgkinson completed the 2026 season as a record-breaker after recovering from a hamstring injury that left her unable to walk at one point. The British athlete broke the world indoor 800m record with a time of 1:54.33 and capped off the year with a victory at Athlos London, where she debuted her Nike speedsuit.
Hamstring injury and recovery
Since winning gold at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, Hodgkinson has endured two injury-ridden seasons. She suffered a hamstring injury in February last year and had to wait months to return to the track. The 24-year-old also sustained cuts to her knees and a jarring in her back during a freak warm-down accident, making training a major battle.
Her biggest issue came at the European Championships in Birmingham, where she tore her hamstring but continued to run, claiming silver in the 800m. An MRI scan later revealed an abnormality in her tendon, which had initially allowed her to continue training and competing.
Explaining the injury, Hodgkinson said: "My body is quite literally built differently. Where most people have one tendon, mine is split - I have two - and we're trying to figure out if it's a strength or a weakness." She added: "So when one of them tore, I still had another one because it's split. In Birmingham, it didn't affect me during the race, but I could feel something wasn't quite right."
World record and rival battles
In February, Hodgkinson broke the women's indoor 800m world record, which had been set by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak in 2002. Hodgkinson beat Ceplak's time of 1:55.82 by finishing in 1:54.87. Ceplak had set the record on the day Hodgkinson was born - March 3, 2002. A month later, Hodgkinson won gold in the 800m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.
She had planned to chase more records, but her freak training accident put those ambitions to bed. Speaking to The Guardian, she said: "Obviously, I would have loved to tick every goal that I wanted to do this year, but I’m 24. What if it happened in an Olympic year? I’m not saying it will and, touch wood, it doesn’t. But I know that I can do this, regardless of if stuff goes right or wrong, and I can still perform with the best in the world. That’s given me confidence."
Throughout the year, Hodgkinson battled Swiss athlete Audrey Werro for the top spot. Werro won the Stockholm Diamond League, the European Championships and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, with Hodgkinson finishing second each time. Hodgkinson got a revenge win at Athlos London to win the final 800m race of the season.
Family plans and speedsuit debut
Hodgkinson confirmed on Jeremiah Azu's YouTube channel that her main plan for the next decade is to get married and have children. She said: "Mine is I'd like to start a family and get married. That's a big thing for me. I'll be 34, I'd like to think I'd had a baby by then, and I really look forward to that point of my life at some point."
The record-breaker debuted her Nike speedsuit during her final race of the season, featuring long sleeves, a backless panel, a ponytail slot and a Catwoman-style hood. She said: "I’m honoured they let me put this on show. I was a little nervous, walking out. The shades helped me block out the noise, but it was really fun and it’s something I’ll remember forever."
Hodgkinson noted the suit was a year in the making with the Nike innovation team, and she insisted on keeping her hair out despite the science suggesting otherwise. She said: "The science was like technically with the air drag you’re slower with your hair out, but I was like, ‘that’s a non-negotiable. My hair is staying out’. I’m very much ‘look good, feel good’ [and that] mental and physical balance."
