'That was really fun' - Keely Hodgkinson breaks world indoor 800m record at Meeting Hauts-de-France
Published 20/02/2026 at 00:06 GMT
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On Saturday at the UK Indoor Championships, Keely Hodgkinson set a new national record for the 800 metres and then set her sights on the 800m world indoor record. She took her opportunity on Thursday evening in Lievin, France, at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, beating Jolanda Ceplak's long-standing record, set more than 20 years ago.
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Keely Hodgkinson has broken the long-standing women's indoor 800m world record, which was set by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak on the day the British Olympic champion was born almost 24 years ago.
"Thank god. That was really fun, I was really looking forward to this," Hodgkinson said to the crowd at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, France, after breaking the record by almost a second with a new best of 1:54.87.
After a series of hamstring injuries over the past year, the new record suggests that Hodgkinson is back to peak fitness ahead of next month's world indoor championships.
Hodgkinson had hinted at her promise on Saturday, when she improved on her existing national record at the UK Indoor Championships.
There were some strong rivals in attendance in the north of France including Olympic silver medalist Tsige Duguma and Swiss competitor Audrey Werro.
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But Hodgkinson showed impressive pace from the off, and then pushed away in the second half of the race, with the rest of the pack never looking like catching her.
After her time of 1:56.33 in Birmingham five days ago, there had been a sense of inevitability that the record would be taken down, as Hodgkinson announced: "I feel like it is my record to break."
Hodgkinson had elected not to run in the finals of the national championships on Sunday as she looked to conserve her energy and fitness for her attempt to set a new record.
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She competed in Saturday’s heat as it allowed her to set a time that was eligible to qualify for the worlds, which are set to take place between March 20-22 in Poland.
"I had to come to qualify for the worlds and that is why I was only doing one round," she said after her race.
"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."
She added. "There were a few nerves because obviously it was my first one since last October, but I enjoy racing - especially because I missed a lot of it last year. I’m in really good shape, the healthiest I’ve been in a long time, so I wanted to make the most of it.
"We planned Lievin six months ago, so that was always the focus. We’ve tried to compromise and get the best of both competitions. I’m happy to get a run out before next week."
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