Lievin: Keely Hodgkinson produced a performance for the ages at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in Liévin on Thursday (19), breaking the world short track 800m record with a scintillating 1:54.87 at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting.
Competing at the Arena Stade Couvert during the penultimate Gold stop of the tour, the 23-year-old Briton delivered the standout moment of the evening. Her run was one of five world-leading marks on the night and accounted for one of two meeting records, firmly underlining her dominance ahead of next month’s World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 in Poland.
Hodgkinson settled in behind the pacemaker through the opening laps, passing 200m in 26.80 seconds and 400m in 56.01. Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, the 2025 Diamond League champion, attempted to stay in contention, but Hodgkinson steadily pulled away.
By 600m, reached in 1:25.06, she had established clear daylight between herself and the field. Maintaining her powerful stride through the final lap, she stormed down the home straight to stop the clock at 1:54.87 — slicing 0.95 seconds off the previous world short track record set by Jolanda Čeplak on 3 March 2002, coincidentally the day Hodgkinson was born.
“That was really fun,” Hodgkinson said afterwards. “I’ve been really looking forward to this for a good few weeks, so thank you for the amazing crowd – I could hear them all the way around.”
Werro finished second in 1:58.38, while Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma took third in 1:58.83.
Hodgkinson’s time is just 0.26 seconds shy of her outdoor personal best and ranks as the 15th fastest 800m performance in history under any conditions, indoors or outdoors. With momentum building, the Olympic champion now turns her focus to securing another global title in Poland next month.
Source: World Athletics.org
Photo credit: World Athletics/X
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