Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson is confident she can break the world indoor 800m record at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Liévin, France, on Thursday. The British athlete recently set a national record of 1:56.33 and faces strong competition from Audrey Werro and Tsige Duguma. The event features other top athletes, including Reynold Cheruiyot in the men's 1500m.
The Arena Stade Couvert in Liévin, France, hosts the penultimate World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of the season on February 19, 2026, just over a month before the World Indoor Championships in Poland. Fields are stacked with athletes aiming to make statements ahead of the global event.
Keely Hodgkinson, fresh from a British record of 1:56.33 at the UK Indoor Championships in Birmingham on February 15, targets Jolanda Ceplak's 2002 world indoor mark of 1:55.82. At a pre-event press conference, Hodgkinson said: "I think it’s mine to take so I’m looking forward to giving it a go." She noted her recent performance was unplanned and indicates she is in good shape, having not raced indoors for three years.
In the women's 800m, Hodgkinson lines up against Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who ran 1:57.27 for the 2026 world lead in Belgrade, Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma, the 2024 world indoor champion and Olympic silver medallist behind Hodgkinson in Paris, Nigist Getachew, the world indoor silver medallist, and Poland's Anna Wielgosz, the European indoor champion. Poland's Anna Gryc will pace through 400m in 55.80. Hodgkinson welcomes the competition: "I think it will be a fun and exciting race and I’m happy to have these girls in it as we can push each other."
She also highlighted the new indoor 800m start, with 150m in lanes instead of 100m, which she believes is faster. Looking beyond Liévin, Hodgkinson plans a 400m race in Glasgow on March 1 and aims for her first world indoor title in Poland, where she has tried to qualify three times without success.
In the men's 1500m, Kenya's Reynold Cheruiyot makes his indoor debut, targeting the 3:36.00 world indoor standard. He faces Portugal's world champion Isaac Nader, South Africa's Tshepo Tshite, Ireland's Andrew Coscoran, and Kenya's Festus Lagat. Cheruiyot, who recently won the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country, said: "I don’t want to promise a lot... I’m making my debut and will target the world indoor entry standard."
Other highlights include Australia's Jessica Hull in the 2000m, France's Azeddine Habz in the 3000m, and a women's 60m hurdles clash between Switzerland's Ditaji Kambundji and Bahamas' Devynne Charlton. Dutch athlete Femke Bol withdrew from the 600m due to a foot tendon issue.
Hodgkinson remains ambitious, stating: "There are no limits really and I’m learning this every year as I get stronger."
