On Thursday night at the World Indoor Tour Lievin, Hodgkinson delivered one of the greatest indoor middle-distance performances ever, blasting 1:54.87 to shatter the long-standing women’s indoor 800m world record.
The previous record was set in 2002 by Jolanda Ceplak, with Stephanie Graf clocking 1:55.85 in the same race. Both later served anti-doping suspensions.
Hodgkinson, a 5-time global medalist in the event and the defending Olympic champ, ran 1:56.33 last weekend at UK Indoor Championships for a new British record.
This race wasn’t short on talent. Audrey Werro had recently run 1:57.27 for a world lead earlier this season. Tsige Duguma — Olympic silver medalist in Paris — was right there as well. Both were threats to turn this into the fastest indoor 800m in history.
Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) – 1:54.87 (WR)
Audrey Werro (SUI) – 1:58.38
Tsige Duguma (ETH) – 1:58.83
Nigist Getachew (ETH) – 1:59.54 (PB)
Clara Liberman (french middle distance runner"] (FRA) – 2:00.61
Anna Wielgosz (POL) – 2:00.70 (SB)
Charlotte Dumas (FRA) – 2:01.47
Lievin has long been known as a place where records fall. On this night, it hosted one of the most significant middle-distance performances of the modern era.
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