Keely Hodgkinson marked a victorious comeback in the Diamond League.
The 23-year-old Olympic gold medallist delivered a commanding performance to claim victory in the 800 metres at the Diamond League in Poland.
Hodgkinson finished ahead of Kenya’s Lilian Odira and Botswana’s Oratile Nowe in Silesia, recording the second-fastest time of her career—just 0.13 seconds shy of her personal best.
Before the Keely Klassic, her comeback had been postponed by several obstacles.
But the Great Britain runner sent a strong message ahead of next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Hodgkinson pulled away from Kenya’s Lilian Odira and Botswana’s Oratile Nowe in Silesia, running the second-fastest race of her life—just 0.13 seconds off her best.
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Hodgkinson said to the BBC: “That was such a blast. It’s incredible, I really hoped to get this chance.
“I haven’t got long to prepare for the Worlds, so I needed to put something solid down.”
Elsewhere, Kishane Thompson made a big statement by beating Olympic gold medallist Noah Lyles in the hotly awaited 100 metres.
Thompson flew from the blocks and led all the way, while Lyles—who always starts slowly—closed well but couldn’t catch the Jamaican, who won in 9.87 seconds. Lyles ran a season-best 9.90. Kenny Bednarek placed third.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon delivered a stellar performance in intense heat, narrowly missing the women’s 3,000m world record of 8:06.11, which was set in 1993 by China’s Wang Junxia.
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