Keely Hodgkinson says she is aiming for a new world record after breaking the British 800m mark at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham.
The 23-year-old, who won Olympic gold in 2024, clocked 1:56.33 in the heats on Saturday to beat her own national record by almost one second.
It was the fastest time in a women’s indoor 800m race in 24 years and the third-fastest in history.
Having announced beforehand that she would not compete in Sunday’s final because she is due to race in France on Thursday, Hodgkinson described the run as “a personal challenge”.
The event in the Midlands counts towards athletes qualifying for the World Indoor Championships in Poland from 20-22 March.
“I had to come to qualify for the Worlds and that is why I was only doing one round,” she said.
“But it was a good test. It is three years since I ran indoors, so I knew I had to go out there and stay focused.
“We didn’t set out to run a world lead, but I started well and just kept it going. It was a nice surprise. It was a really strong day.”
