World indoor 800m record-holder is gearing up for the European Athletics Champs in Birmingham.

Keely Nicole Hodgkinson is one of the most coveted British athletes at the moment and she deserves it. The 24-year-old from Wigan is dominating the 800 metres landscape: wherever she runs she does it to win and, possibly, write her name in the books of records.

As we await the next European Athletics Championships, scheduled for August 2026 in Birmingham, exactly as the British middle-distance runner is doing, Hodgkinson appears to be in extraordinary form, proving to be a good athlete to bet on for a medal.

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Hodgkinson’s numbers are extraordinary

Hodgkinson was an amazing runner in the 400 metres, but she found her true calling in the 800 metres distance. Her time in the 400m (51.49) is faster than her personal best outdoors, over the same distance, so she’s still scratching the surface of her best given her base speed, which appears to be better than in the past years. The athlete is reaching her prime and hopes to be at her best in the summer, in order to triumph in front of her home supporters. 

Her time on the 400 metres is only one of her accolades. She defends the world’s best time over the 600 metres indoor, with her record of 1:23.41, and has the British record over the 800 metres, with a time of 1:54.61. She is the fastest European this century, over the distance. Actually, she ranks first in the world, among women, over her favourite distance. Last February, she gained worldwide recognition when she produced the standout moment of the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF. On that fateful day, Hodgkinson took almost a second off the world short track 800m record with 1:54.87.

Her performance was one of five world-leading marks and two meeting records set at the Arena Stade Couvert. The Briton followed the pacemaker for the first half and went through 200m in 26.83 and 400m in 56.00. Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, the 2025 Diamond League champion, tried to go with her over the distance, but Hodgkinson continued to extend her lead with every step, making it pretty clear that she was about to win big.

By 600m, reached in 1:25.05, she was away and clear, running only against the clock. She stretched away on the final lap and crossed the line in 1:54.87, a 0.95-second improvement on the previous world short track record set by Jolanda Ceplak on March 3, 2002. Curiously, that day is the very same one in which Hodgkinson was born. Could this be a sign?

What can we expect in Birmingham?

It’s safe to say that Brits are expecting a certain degree of dominance by Hodgkinson in Birmingham, next August. The runner is in the midst of a fantastic season (as she underlined in Torun, where she put on an incredible exhibition) and the event in her country could really motivate her to be even better than her amazing standard.

It is not by chance that the organization of the next European Outdoors Athletics Championship added more seating at the Alexander Stadium. They are facing an unprecedented demand for admission tickets and the entries for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are difficult to get hold of.

The interest in athletics in the UK is due to the performances put together by runners like Hodgkinson and Zharnel Hughes, the British sprinter that has a lot of supporters in the country. The British team is more than ready to run and the roar of the Alexander Stadium could really give these world-class athletes the boost they need to dominate their competition.