Olympic champion Hodgkinson pipped on home straight
Kenya’s Odira and GB’s Hunter Bell run personal bests
During Keely Hodgkinson’s season from hell she has fought back from three hamstring injuries, plunging lows and frustrations, and a 376-day enforced break from racing. But when she asked her body for one last miracle in Tokyo it was unable to obey.
Coming into the home straight of a spicy 800m, the Olympic champion once again saw gold in her eyes. But at the death, her lack of racing in 2025 – and, it later turned out, a stomach bug – caught up with her.
First the unheralded Kenyan Lilian Odira, the world No 17, swooped past to claim a shock victory in 1min 54.62sec. It was a personal best time by nearly two seconds, and afterwards the 26-year-old dedicated her gold medal to her two sons, who are four and two.
