British athletics star Keely Hodgkinson made a tearful exit from the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Sunday, opting to withdraw moments before the race was due to commence. The Olympic 800m silver medallist, who had qualified fifth fastest, was seen distressed on the track before being attended to by officials and departing the stadium.
Despite the emotional scene, Hodgkinson's team swiftly moved to alleviate fears of a serious injury. Her coach, Jenny Meadows, informed the BBC that Hodgkinson felt a 'little twinge' during her final strides of the warm-up and decided to 'play it safe'. Hodgkinson later released a statement confirming her decision: "I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent standing on the start line, so I made the tough decision to step away and not race. I didn’t want to risk anything this summer." She reiterated this sentiment on social media, stating she was "Leaving champs healthy!! Sometimes the hard decision is saying no, body wasn't feeling 100 [per cent], exciting summer ahead."
The 24-year-old has been incorporating 400m races into her schedule this season with a strategic aim: to enhance her first-lap speed as she targets Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing 800m world record of 1:53.28. This record attempt is planned for later in the summer, with Hodgkinson scheduled to compete at the Prefontaine Classic on 4th July, followed by the London Diamond League on 18th July. After a period affected by injuries in recent seasons, Hodgkinson had shown strong form, including breaking the world indoor record in February.
In the 400m final itself, despite a false start, former world indoor champion Amber Anning successfully defended her title, crossing the line in 50.16 seconds. Yemi Mary John secured second place with 50.23, and Charlotte Henrich finished third in 50.58. Earlier in the day, Georgia Hunter Bell, a rival and training partner of Hodgkinson, also delivered a standout performance, defending her 800m title in 1:55.93, a time which broke Kelly Holmes’ championship record set in 1995. Matt Hudson-Smith regained the men’s 400m British title for a sixth time with a run of 44.45s, dedicating his victory to his daughter after missing last year's event due to complications during her birth.
Other notable results included Zharnel Hughes’ dominant win in the men’s 200m, retaining his title in 20.04 seconds, after missing out on the 100m title the previous day. Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake was second in 20.35. In the women's 200m, Success Eduan, aged 21, achieved a personal best of 22.43 to beat world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt, who finished second in 22.64. Jake Wightman narrowly won the men's 800m, clocking 1:45.40 after a close contest with Ben Pattison.
Source: BBC Sport, UK Athletics