Keely Hodgkinson ecstatic after breaking world record - 'That was really fun'
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson set a new world 800m indoor record time of one minute 54.87 seconds in Lievin, beating the near 24-year-old standard set on the day she was born.
Hodgkinson, who stormed to 800m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, shaved nearly a second off the previous best, 1min 55.82secs, achieved by Jolanda Ceplak at the European Championships in Vienna on March 3, 2002.
The 23-year-old from Atherton, who is trained by Wigan duo Trevor Painter and his wife Jenny Meadows – was primarily relieved she had backed up her words from earlier in the week, when she confidently told a press conference the record was hers to take.
“Thank God!” she said. “That was really fun. I’ve been looking forward to this for a good few weeks. I was really excited to come here. I felt like it was going to happen today, it was just a matter of how fast I could go.
"It was really hard that last lap, but I’m super happy. It’s nice to have a world record and to say about something I’m the best to ever do it. That’s really exciting. And I’ve been working at it for a long time.
“The last couple of years I have said I have really wanted it. It almost felt a bit weird that it was set on the day I was born, and 24 years later I break it. But I think there’s still more to push.”
Hodgkinson opened her season at the UK indoor championships, running 1:56.33 without pacemakers or wavelights to move third on the all-time list, before turning her focus to Thursday night in France.
Speaking trackside at that event in Birmingham, Hodgkinson mused that she ‘accidentally ran quite fast’ without help.
Thursday night's feat was no happy accident. All the tools were in place in Lievin, where the wavelights were set at 55.8s at the halfway point and 1:53.80 overall.
Hodgkinson followed designated pacemaker Anna Gryc of Poland through 200m in 26.47s and 55.56s at the 400m mark before striking out solo, clocking 1:25.06 three quarters of the way through.
She clapped her hands after crossing the line, where she accepted congratulations from her fellow competitors before splaying out like a starfish on the track to soak in the rousing appreciation from the crowd.
Hodgkinson was also congratulated by Painter and Meadows , as well as training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell - the Olympic 1,500m bronze and world silver medallist who had clinched her own victory earlier in the evening.
The new world-record holder, still full of energy, then made a beeline for her family, taking a selfie to cement the milestone in memory.
Speaking ahead of the race – on the prospect of breaking the record - Hodgkinson had said: "It’s achievable. It was also set on the day I was born which is a bit weird, but I like that stat and I think it’s mine to take so I’m looking forward to giving it a go.
"There are no limits and I’m learning this every year as I get stronger. These 1:54s and 1:55s are becoming more regular and the standard is getting higher and higher. I can definitely see some great things in the future and hopefully I’ve still got another 10 years in me."