Keely Hodgkinson plots World Championship gold after comeback from two hamstring tears

Keely Hodgkinson says she is aiming for a first World Championship gold after an explosive return from two serious hamstring injuries that kept her out of competition for more than a year.

The 23-year-old British 800m Olympic champion produced a statement comeback in August, running a world-leading 1 minute 54.74 seconds in Silesia — the fastest time of the year and only 0.13 seconds off her national record — before following up with another commanding victory in Lausanne. Hodgkinson described the past 12 months as "the most challenging year so far" but said the setbacks had revealed her strengths and left her determined to enjoy competing again.

Hodgkinson's 2025 campaign was derailed by a left hamstring tear sustained three days before an attempt to break the indoor 800m world record at the launch of her own Keely Klassic in February. The injury ruled her out of indoor world and European title bids. A second major setback followed in May when she suffered a grade-three tear to her right hamstring, putting her participation at the forthcoming World Championships in doubt.

"I've realised how strong I am. I have such a great team around me and I've also had time to process everything that happened last year," Hodgkinson told BBC Sport. "It's been super frustrating at times, when I'm working hard but not seeing any rewards for it and your body's letting you down. It's got me to where I am now, so I can't complain too much."

Coaches and teammates played a central role in her recovery. Husband-and-wife coaching duo Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows worked on Hodgkinson's rehabilitation and race preparation, and Meadows said there were moments when they feared she would not be ready for the championships. "There was a point Keely probably thought that as well," Meadows said, adding that Hodgkinson might have accepted a lower placing given the year's difficulty but that the expectation now is for her to contend for gold.

Hodgkinson rose to prominence as a teenager with a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and later won her first global title at Paris 2024. She has since been vocal about no longer settling for second place after collecting multiple silver medals at major global events. Her return to form in August, after a 376-day competitive absence following Paris, has reinforced her stated ambition to finish her career among her nation's greatest athletes.

Her preparations included rebuilding strength in the gym, where she recorded personal-best lifts, and taking a day-by-day approach to training while managing the risk of re-injury. "I just wanted to be fearless [on my return]. I didn't have time to do more races and get that confidence. I needed to just go for it," Hodgkinson said.

Hodgkinson is expected to face training partner Georgia Hunter Bell — the M11 Track Club athlete who switched from the 1500m to the 800m this season — in the 800m final on Sept. 21. Hodgkinson said a one-two finish for their club would be "amazing" and that the season had taught her to slow down and take more enjoyment from the process of competing.

While the injury layoff threatened to derail her season, Hodgkinson has framed the experience as an opportunity to rebuild fundamentals and return with renewed focus. Her performances since returning to the track have positioned her as a leading contender for the world title, and her team has signalled confidence that she can translate her late-season form into championship success.

At 23, Hodgkinson remains among the sport's leading middle-distance runners. The coming weeks will be watched closely as she seeks to convert a challenging year into the crowning achievement she has long targeted.