• Keely Hodgkinson was due to try to break the indoor 800metres world record 
  • She had scheduled the Keely Classic in Birmingham for the record attempt
  • She says she is ‘gutted’ that fans who bought tickets won’t see her in action 

By DAVID COVERDALE

Keely Hodgkinson was left in tears after being forced to abandon her world record attempt at the event named in her honour because of a hamstring injury.

The British star was bidding to break the world indoor 800 metres record – set on the very day she was born – at Saturday’s Keely Klassic, which was set to be her first race since winning gold at the Paris Olympics last August.

However, Hodgkinson suffered a hamstring problem in training on Wednesday and has had to pull out of the event at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.

The 22-year-old is now likely to miss the defence of her title at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands next month. She also faces a race against time to be fit for the World Indoors in Nanjing, China, an event she has never won and was heavily targeting this year.

Hodgkinson’s injury is a nightmare for both the athlete and her management team who have organised the Keely Klassic, which will still go ahead despite the absence of their headline act.

‘I’m devastated to be missing the launch of the Keely Klassic,’ admitted Hodgkinson. ‘When I got the news this afternoon, I shed a tear. I’ve worked so hard for this moment and was in the best shape of my life.

Keely Hodgkinson has pulled out of her world record attempt in Birmingham on Saturday

She was due to race in the indoor 800 metres to try and break a 23-year record at the Keely Classic

She was due to race in the indoor 800 metres to try and break a 23-year record at the Keely Classic 

Hodgkinson admits she 'shed a tear' and that she is 'absolutely gutted' she had to pull out

Hodgkinson admits she ‘shed a tear’ and that she is ‘absolutely gutted’ she had to pull out

‘I’m absolutely gutted that I won’t be able to race for the fans, especially after so many have bought tickets to see me try and break the world record.

‘But this event was never just about me – it was always about showcasing British talent, creating something new for the sport, and bringing more energy and entertainment to athletics.

‘I’ll be in Birmingham on Saturday doing everything I can to make sure it’s an amazing night for the athletes and the fans.

‘I want to help create a real festival atmosphere, engage with as many young people as possible, and hopefully inspire the next generation to fall in love with track and field.’

Hodgkinson had revealed as recently as Tuesday that she fully expected to break the world record of 1min 55.82sec, set by Slovenian Jolanda Ceplak in March 2002.

Her injury news came shortly after a row had erupted over the BBC’s decision to only stream the Keely Klassic on iPlayer, preferring to show a repeat of the film Mr Malcolm’s List on BBC Two, followed by an old episode of Flog It!.

Around a third of tickets remain available for the event at the 7,000-capacity Utilita Arena, which organisers were confident of selling but may now struggle to shift.

Jake Wightman, the 2022 world 1500m champion, also withdrew from the event with injury earlier this week.

Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell and Molly Caudery, the world indoor pole vault champion, are the biggest names left in the field.

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Keely Hodgkinson pulls out of world record attempt at her OWN athletics event – and makes heartbreaking admission after injury

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