Keely Hodgkinson says she is targeting a new world record after breaking the British 800m barrier at the British Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham.
The 23-year-old 2024 Olympic gold medalist ran 1 minute, 56.33 seconds in Saturday’s heats, nearly a second faster than her own national record.
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It was the fastest time in the women’s indoor 800m in 24 years and the third-fastest time in history.
Hodgkinson, who announced in advance that she would not compete in Sunday’s final as she will compete in France on Thursday, described the run as a “personal challenge”.
Events in the Midlands will affect athletes’ qualification for the World Indoor Championships in Poland from March 20-22.
“I had to qualify for worlds, which is why I only played one round,” she said.
“But it was a good test. It’s been three years since I’ve run indoors, so I knew I had to go out there and stay focused.
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“We didn’t set out to be world leaders, but I started well and kept going. It was a nice surprise. It was a very strong day.”
“I feel like this is a record I want to break.”
Asked whether he would aim for Jolanda Ceplak’s indoor world record of 1 minute 55.82 seconds set in 2002, Hodgkinson said: “I’ve been very vocal in the past about wanting to break that record.
“I feel like this is the record I’m going to break. We’re going to work hard.”
Dina Asher-Smith was another star who performed well on the first day in Birmingham, setting a new championship record by winning the women’s 60m in 7.05 seconds, a tenth of a second ahead of Amy Hunt.
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The 30-year-old said afterward that she had “felt great throughout the indoor season,” adding: “Sometimes you just have to be patient, stay sharp and wait for the moment.”
In the men’s 60m, 24-year-old world and European indoor champion Jeremiah Azu crossed the line in a season’s best time of 6.56 seconds to defend his British title.
Molly Caudery won the women’s pole vault with a height of 4.65m and Owen Heard won the men’s pole vault with a height of 5.55m.
Lucy Hadaway won the women’s long jump title with a jump of 6.45m, and Tito Odunaike won the men’s triple jump title with a jump of 15.45m.
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In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, Abigail Pawlett won the championship in a personal best time of 8.05 seconds, while Daniel Goriola won the men’s race in a season’s best time of 7.78 seconds.
Madeline Down won the women’s 60m final in 8.24 seconds and Kevin Santos won the men’s title in 6.93 seconds.
You can watch the second day of the British Athletics Indoor Championships on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app from 11:20 GMT on Sunday.
Thompson-Hera returns
Meanwhile, five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah finished third in the 60m event in her native Jamaica, her first competition since June 2024.
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The 33-year-old missed the 2024 Paris Olympics with an Achilles tendon injury but finished the race in Kingston in 7.24 seconds.
Thompson-Hera won gold medals in the 100m and 200m relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics, followed by gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
However, she has not competed in an individual international event since the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she won bronze in the 100m and silver in the 4x100m.
