Olympic 800 metres champion Keely Hodgkinson sought to allay injury concerns on Sunday after withdrawing moments before the women’s 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships, saying she had chosen caution ahead of a busy summer schedule.
The 24-year-old was visibly emotional as she stepped away from the start line, with British media reporting that she felt a slight issue during warm-ups and decided not to risk aggravating it by competing.
Hodgkinson later confirmed on social media that the decision was precautionary.
“Leaving champs healthy,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Sometimes the hard decision is saying no, body wasn’t feeling 100 (percent), exciting summer ahead.”
The withdrawal briefly raised concerns given Hodgkinson’s injury-disrupted 2025 campaign, when a hamstring problem forced her to miss her inaugural Keely Klassic meeting and limited her appearances during the season.
Despite those setbacks, Hodgkinson finished the year strongly and has since re-established herself as one of the leading middle-distance runners in the world.
The Briton enjoyed a standout start to 2026 when she broke the women’s world indoor 800m record at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin.
Her time of 1 minute 54.87 seconds eclipsed the previous mark of 1:55.82 set by Slovenia’s Jolanda Ceplak in 2002, making Hodgkinson the fastest woman ever over the distance indoors.
The Olympic champion has also made no secret of her ambition to challenge one of athletics’ longest-standing records — the women’s outdoor 800m world record of 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983.
With major international competitions still ahead this season, Hodgkinson’s decision to withdraw from the 400m final appears aimed at ensuring she remains fully fit for her preferred event rather than risking a recurrence of past injury problems.
