Keely Hodgkinson ‘closer than ever’ to breaking athletics’ longest standing world record

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson says she feels “closer than ever” to breaking the women’s 800m outdoor record – the longest-standing world record in athletics.

Jarmila Kratochvilova set the record of one minute 53.28 seconds in Munich in July 1983.

But Britain’s Hodgkinson, who broke the event’s indoor world record on Thursday, believes she can surpass Kratochvilova and achieve something that will “cement her place as the greatest of all time”.

“It’s not an easy feat and there’s a reason it has stood for so long, ” Hodgkinson told BBC Sport.

“I think this is the closest I’ve felt near it. I do really believe that we can break it, but a lot of things have got to come together.”

Hodgkinson’s stunning indoor run in France saw her cross the line in 1:54.87 to smash a world record which had stood since 3 March 2002 – the day the Briton was born.

Her coach, Jenny Meadows, told BBC Sport the athlete’s time in Lievin could have been up to one second faster – and Hodgkinson is aiming higher still.

“I’ve known for weeks I’m capable of breaking it. It’s just a matter of getting out on the day,” she said.

“We can push it even further in the future, as long as I stay healthy and I think this is hopefully just the beginning.”

Victory came after a difficult year for the 23-year-old, who stormed to Olympic gold at the Paris Games in 2024.

Hodgkinson was left unable to train after tearing her hamstring just a few months after that triumph and has been building her way back ever since.

“After winning the Olympics, it really wasn’t what I thought was going to happen,” she said.

“It makes you stop and strip back everything and think, why is this happening? What are the problems?

“But, we got through it, I became a stronger person, and I think this is now the reward of all of that happening.”