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

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.”