Keely Hodgkinson Breaks Women’s Indoor 800m World Record in Liévin

Record-Breaking Run in France

Keely Hodgkinson broke the women’s indoor 800m world record in Liévin, France, on a Thursday. She completed the race in one minute 54.87 seconds. The previous world record was 1:55.82, set by Slovenia’s Jolanda Ceplak on 3 March 2002.

Hodgkinson took almost one second off Ceplak’s mark, which had stood since 2002. The race took place on an indoor track in Liévin, and green wavelights on the inside of the track represented the existing record pace during the event. Hodgkinson pulled away at the front after a fast opening 400m and finished ahead of the record schedule.

Athletes and Race Details

The 23-year-old British athlete lined up alongside Ethiopia’s Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma and Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who had previously been the fastest woman over the distance this year before Hodgkinson surpassed her. Poland’s Anna Gryc was assigned to set a 55.8-second pace through the halfway mark.

The first 400m was completed in 55.56 seconds, putting the field slightly ahead of the target pace. After that split, Hodgkinson moved decisively to the front and maintained her lead. She crossed the finish line in 1:54.87, establishing the new women’s indoor 800m world record.

Previous Marks and Recent Performances

Jolanda Ceplak’s previous indoor 800m world record of 1:55.82 was set on the day Hodgkinson was born, almost 24 years prior to the new record. Before the Liévin race, Hodgkinson had improved her own British 800m indoor record at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham, running 1:56.33 five days earlier.

That performance in Birmingham left only Ceplak and Austrian athlete Stephanie Graf ahead of Hodgkinson on the all-time indoor 800m list. Hodgkinson had previously broken the women’s indoor 600m world record during an earlier indoor season three years before this race. Her new world record in Liévin came five days after she set the new British 800m indoor mark in Birmingham.

World Record Status and British Milestone

With this result, Hodgkinson now holds the women’s indoor 800m world record. She joins triple jumper Jonathan Edwards as the only British athletes holding a current world record in one of athletics’ championship events. The longstanding outdoor women’s 800m world record is 1:53.28, set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in July 1983, and remains in place.

During the post-race presentation in Liévin, Hodgkinson addressed the crowd and then received a golden crown. She was seated on a throne beside the track as part of the celebrations marking her achievement.

Injuries and Preparation

Hodgkinson had planned to target the indoor 800m world record at her Keely Klassic event in February of the previous year, but two serious hamstring injuries that season prevented that attempt. She suffered two hamstring tears in 2025 and spent time in the gym improving her strength and power during her recovery.

Despite those injuries, she returned to competition and achieved a world podium finish in September after a 376-day gap in racing as Olympic champion. Ahead of the Liévin meeting, Hodgkinson described her recent winter training block as the healthiest she had experienced in a long time.