Hodgkinson wins opening heat as Britain fires 800m world-title bid in Tokyo

Great Britain's Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson began her pursuit of a first world title by cruising through to the semi-finals of the women's 800 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Hodgkinson is the gold-medal favourite after returning to action in August with a world-leading time, despite a 376-day wait to make her competitive return following last summer's Games. Two hamstring tears later, she secured back-to-back wins in her only two pre-championship races in August. Returning to the stadium where she won Olympic silver as a teenager four years ago, the 23-year-old controlled her heat to reach Friday's semi-finals.

Her heat time was 1:59.79, a comfortable clearance for progression but more than five seconds slower than her British record. Hodgkinson's training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell, who has switched to the shorter of the middle-distance events in pursuit of another global podium, also began with a victory, clocking 1:58.82. "I don't like the rounds, they feel awful, they are awful. I just really wanted to enjoy being back in the stadium. It's so nice to be here," Hodgkinson said. "It wasn't pretty or dominant, but it's nice to be safely through. It's been a long week waiting around. Whoever put the 800m last, thank you. I've just been looking forward to getting out here, at one point I didn't even know if I'd be here. It definitely means a lot, round by round I'm hoping it goes my way. It would mean even more than last year [to win]. I'm just trying to embrace it all." Hunter Bell added: "We have been out in Japan for a long time, so it felt like Christmas morning getting out on track. Doing the 800m is the right decision. I feel like I have really got something to show - I have a high ranking and with my team-mate this was the year to do it." Gold medal threats remain in the shape of Kenya's reigning champion Mary Moraa, Ethiopia's Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma and in-form Swiss athlete Audrey Werro. However, British team-mate Jemma Reekie missed out after placing fifth in her heat.

More to follow.