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24 years later, Hodgkinson smashes record set on her birthday

February 20, 2026 12:50 IST

Keely Hodgkinson shattered the women's world indoor 800m record in Lievin, France, solidifying her status as a top contender for the Paris 2024 Games.

IMAGE: Britain's Keely Hodgkinson in action during the final. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Key Points

Keely Hodgkinson set a new world record in the women's indoor 800m, clocking 1:54.87.
Hodgkinson broke the previous record of 1:55.82 set by Jolanda Ceplak in 2002.
The record was broken at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France.

Keely Hodgkinson on Thursday smashed the women's world indoor 800 metres record set by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak on the day Britain's Olympic champion was born nearly 24 years ago.

Hodgkinson, clocked 1:54.87 at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France to slice 0.95 seconds off the mark of 1:55.82 Ceplak posted on March 3 2002.

"Thank you for the amazing crowd," Hodgkinson was quoted as saying on the World Athletics website. "I could hear you all the way around."

The Briton has had a strong start to the season, with a time of 1:56.33 at the UK Indoor Championships last weekend.

Record-Breaking Race

Hodgkinson took control of the race early on, passing 200m in 26.47 seconds and 400m in 55.56 seconds. By the 600m mark, reached in 1:25.06, the 23-year-old was well ahead of the field.

Switzerland's Audrey Werro finished a distant second after the Briton had powered away from the field to set the record.

Hodgkinson won an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo in 2021 before claiming gold at the Paris 2024 Games.

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