Keely Hodgkinson Brought Back to Earth as She Tastes Rare 800m Defeat

Olympics 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson’s dream of staying unbeaten the whole season over the distance went up in smoke as soon as she expressed it after a defeat in Stockholm on Sunday.

The British runner, who had run the 400m at the Rome Diamond League on Thursday, finishing seventh, in a race she was using to test her speed in the hope of dominating the 800m, did not have a successful outing in Stockholm.

Lining up in the Swedish capital, Hodgkinson was the outright favourite to claim top honours given she has been unbeaten this season and set a new world indoor record before winning gold at the World Indoor Championships in March.

It seemed to be going according to plan when she commanded the race from the start but things changed in the final 200m. Looking like she had it all in control, Hodgkinson was surprised when Audrey Werro appeared from nowhere and stormed ahead.

The Swiss runner went for it, leaving Hodgkinson with no answers, as she won it in a new meeting record of 1:53.98. The Briton came home second in 1:54.33, a new national record, while Roisin Willis of the United States finished third in a personal best 1:57.56.

It was Hodgkinson’s first Diamond League race over the 800m this season, coming after a dominant campaign with the last time she failed to win the distance being at the 2025 World Championships last September when she finished third in the final.