British athlete Keely Hodgkinson broke the women's indoor 800m world record at the Golden Tour meet in Lievin, France, clocking 1:54.87 on Thursday. The 23-year-old Olympic champion surpassed the mark set by Jolanda Ceplak in 2002 by nearly a second. Her coach Jenny Meadows highlighted the meticulous preparation behind the achievement.
Keely Hodgkinson's Record-Breaking Run
Keely Hodgkinson, the Paris 2024 Olympic 800m champion, achieved a long-planned goal by setting a new indoor world record of 1:54.87 at the Golden Tour in Lievin, France, on 19 February 2026. The performance beat the previous record of 1:55.82 held by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak since 3 March 2002—the day Hodgkinson was born—by almost one second. She finished well ahead of second-place finisher Audrey Werro of Switzerland, who clocked 1:58.38.
Hodgkinson's race featured precise pacing with wavelights guiding the tempo. She passed 200m in 26.47 seconds, 400m in 55.56 seconds, and 600m in 1:25.06 before finishing strongly. This was her second race of 2026, following a 1:56.33 in Birmingham.
Coach Jenny Meadows, a former 800m medallist, explained the team's confidence. "She actually said to me the day before: 'obviously I know I'm going to get it'," Meadows told BBC Sport. The Lievin track, known for its speed and history of records, was selected months in advance. "We've not been greedy, we've really held back and said we need to believe in our process," Meadows added.
Hodgkinson overcame injury setbacks in 2025, including a hamstring issue that forced her withdrawal from her Keely Klassic event and limited her preparation for the World Athletics Championships, where she won bronze. Despite this, Meadows praised her mindset: "The difference between Keely and a lot of others is mindset, she can get the best out of herself on a daily basis."
Hodgkinson expressed satisfaction post-race: "It was really fun. I’ve been looking forward to this for several weeks. Thanks to the wonderful crowd – I could hear them throughout the entire race."
Future Targets
Next, Hodgkinson heads to the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, from 20-22 March 2026, as a favorite for gold. Her coach revealed ambitions for the outdoor world record of 1:53.28, set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983. "She wants that more than the indoor record. Her ambition is to be a legend of the sport," Meadows said. Hodgkinson's outdoor personal best stands at 1:54.61, the British national record set in London in 2024.
