Keely Hodgkinson smashes world record set on exact day she was born in stunning 800m run

British athlete Keely Hodgkinson has set a new world record in the women’s 800m indoor, smashing the previous time by almost a second.

Hodgkinson crossed the finish line in 1:54.88 in Lievin, France.

The previous record was set by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak on the day the Briton was born almost 24 years ago.

The record has stood since March 3, 2002.

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It comes just days after the 23-year-old days smashing her own British indoor 800m record at the UK Indoor Championships in Birmingham by nearly a second.

Following the race, Hodgkinson said: "Thank god. That was really fun, I was really looking forward to this."

The 23-year-old now stands alongside triple jumper Jonathan Edwards as the sole British athlete currently holding world records in championship events.

Her triumph comes after a challenging 2025 season, during which two significant hamstring injuries derailed her plans to chase the record at her own Keely Klassic meeting last February.

Hodgkinson passed the 400m mark even quicker than planned, clocking 55.56 seconds before surging clear of the field.

The British star faced quality opposition, with Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma, the Olympic silver medallist, and Switzerland's Audrey Werro among her rivals on the start line.

Werro had been the year's fastest woman before Hodgkinson overtook her in the rankings.

Throughout the race, Hodgkinson tracked the green wavelights on the inside of the track, which represented record pace.

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