Hodgkinson 'pretty close' to breaking 800m world record

Keely Hodgkinson says she feels "pretty close" to breaking nan 800m world grounds aft nan Olympic champion capped a memorable 2024 by being named BBC Sports Personality of nan Year.

Hodgkinson ended her hold for a bumi title astatine Paris 2024 to go Team GB's first Olympic champion connected nan way since Sir Mo Farah's 5,000m and 10,000m double astatine Rio 2016.

The 22-year-old besides retained her European title successful Rome and improved her British women's grounds to 1 infinitesimal 54.61 seconds - a clip bettered by only 5 athletes successful history.

Her coaches Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, who shared nan Coach of nan Year award, said they would sasaran some world indoor and outdoor golds adjacent twelvemonth earlier chasing nan sport's longest-standing grounds successful 2026.

It has been 41 years since Czech jock Jarmila Kratochvilova ran 1:53.28 successful 1983.

"I'm not acrophobic to put my goals retired there," said Hodgkinson, who won nan Sports Personality of nan Year nationalist vote up of darts prima Luke Littler and cricketer Joe Root.

"I'm beautiful adjacent [to nan world record], I would for illustration to think. I person seen this twelvemonth what my assemblage is tin of and I'm excited to push on.

"That world grounds is thing I will ever person successful nan backmost of my head. But I person truthful galore years to get stronger truthful I'm looking guardant to seeing what happens.

"I spot successful Trevor and Jenny a lot. I cognize what style I'm successful earlier I measurement connected nan commencement line. It each depends if it comes together and that tin dangle connected galore things successful athletics."

Hodgkinson had vanished 2nd astatine successive World Championships aft claiming a stunning metallic connected her Olympic debut arsenic a teen successful Tokyo 3 years ago.

But, having vowed to ne'er settee for 2nd connected specified a shape again aft losing retired to Kenya's Mary Moraa successful Budapest successful 2023, successful Paris she became only nan 10th British female to triumph athletics golden astatine a Games.

Meadows, a world 800m bronze medallist and herself coached by hubby Painter, said: "Keely is an unthinkable jock and I cognize that it's still nan opening for her.

"She has immense ambitions successful nan athletics and she wont extremity until she's astatine slightest won different 1 successful LA and moreover beyond that.

"It's really breathtaking we now consciousness for illustration we cognize really to get those records indoor and outdoor.

"For 2025,the large purpose is to triumph nan world indoors and world outdoors. Get nan 2 bumi titles, that is nan large aim.

"Then we deliberation 2026 is nan correct clip to spell for nan outdoor record. Physically we cognize she tin tally 1.53 thing successful 2025 and past we will push connected from there."

In different stellar play Hodgkinson went unbeaten complete 2 laps and battled done unwellness to clasp her European title, which successful 2022 represented her first awesome outdoor title.

Her improved British grounds astatine nan London Diamond League successful July was not only confirmation that she was fresh to make nan adjacent measurement connected nan podium successful Paris, but it has besides brought Kratochvilova's arsenic yet untouched grounds firmly wrong reach.

Painter said: "We are ever going to push those boundaries and effort to get nan world records,whether indoor aliases out.

"Whether it happens successful 2025 we will person to hold and see, but we will do our champion to get it."

After a insignificant hamstring wounded ended her 2024 play earlier she could take sides her Diamond League title, Hodgkinson returned to training successful South Africa successful caller weeks.

But having admitted that she struggled mentally pursuing nan unfamiliar precocious of her breakout first Games astatine Tokyo, she is unwavering successful her determination arsenic she prepares to pursuit much history and - successful her ain words - go 1 of Britain's top ever athletes.

The World Indoor Championships return spot successful Nanjing, China, successful March earlier nan outdoor golden is connected nan statement successful Tokyo successful September.

"I deliberation this twelvemonth I person recovered a existent joyousness successful competing," said Hodgkinson.

"I conscionable loved London [Diamond League] truthful much, I loved Prefontaine [Classic], I loved Paris.

"I person loved being successful beforehand of a crowd, putting connected a performance, having group down maine and winning for them.

"So I americium conscionable looking guardant to continuing successful that way."