Keely Hodgkinson Clarifies 800m Plans Ahead of 2026 UK Indoor Championships

Reigning Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has set the record straight ahead of her season debut in Birmingham this weekend at the 2026 Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships, which return to the Utilita Arena Birmingham on February 14 and 15.

Keely Hodgkinson is set to compete in the 800m, and reports had suggested that she will be bidding for a slot to compete at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń from March 20 to 22, but she has since refuted those claims.

The race will be her first since her mixed 2025 season, where she won a bronze medal in the 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

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The world 800m bronze medallist had started out her 2025 season with an injury setback and had to withdraw from a series of meets she had been confirmed for, but for the 2026 season, all seems to be working out in her favour.

In a post on her X (Twitter) handle, the two-time world 800m silver medallist explained that she would only compete in one round of the 800m in Birmingham.

She disclosed that her main focus is on the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in Liévin, a premier World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, which is scheduled for Thursday, February 19, 2026, at the Arena Stade Couvert.

"For transparency, I will only be contending one round of the 800m this weekend at British champs. One of our main focuses of this indoor season is to race in Lieven on the 19th," Keely Hodgkinson tweeted.

"This is what me and my team feel is best and I look forward to racing in front of a British crowd again, happy champs weekend!!"

The standout threat to Keely Hodgkinson’s title is Issy Boffey. Boffey enters the Utilita Arena in the form of her life, having recently clocked a personal best of 1:57.43 in Boston.

This performance moved her to second on the British all-time indoor list, trailing only Keely Hodgkinson herself. With both athletes in peak condition, the 800m is being billed as the "must-watch" race of the championships.

Jemma Reekie, the 2024 World Indoor silver medallist, remains a formidable opponent with vast championship experience.

Ellie Baker, a consistent performer on the international circuit, adds further depth to the British middle-distance ranks.