Keely Hodgkinson Targets Long-Standing 800m World Record

Keely Hodgkinson believes that breaking the oldest world record in athletics would firmly establish her as one of the greatest 800 metres runners of all time.

The 23-year-old Briton, who claimed Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, trimmed almost a second off the world indoor 800m record at a meeting in Liévin, France, on Thursday.

Hodgkinson now feels she is closer than ever to surpassing the long-standing outdoor world record of 1 minute 53.28 seconds, set in July 1983 in Munich by Jarmila Kratochvilova.

Kratochvilova’s mark has endured for more than four decades and has been dogged by allegations of doping—claims she has consistently denied—along with reports of state-sponsored doping programmes in former Eastern Bloc countries.

Keely Hodgkinson Targets Long-Standing 800m World Record — Keely Hodgkinson Credit: BBC

Hodgkinson made clear the magnitude of eclipsing that time, telling the BBC: “I think the outdoor record would be cemented GOAT (greatest of all time).

“It’s stood for a long time and been a long time since anyone’s been able to get near it. I do think it’s possible.

“It’s a difficult record and a reason why it has stood for 40-odd years. It’s literally the oldest record on track so it will be a real accomplishment to get near it and hopefully break it.

“I think this is the closest I’ve felt near it. I do really believe that we can break it, but a lot of things have got to come together.”

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Toyibat Ajose

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