Keely Hodgkinson Faces Cautious Coaching Plan as She Targets Historic 800m World Record

Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has made her ambitions for the upcoming outdoor season crystal clear; she is targeting the longest-standing world record in track and field.

After shattering the world indoor 800m record of 1:55.82 held by Slovenia's Jolanda Čeplak, Keely Hodgkinson has set her sights on Jarmila Kratochvilova's outdoor mark of 1:53.28, a record that has remained untouched since July 1983.

To break the indoor record that was set exactly the day she was born, Keely Hodgkinson clocked a stunning 1:54.87 at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in Paris, France.

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However, her coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, are advocating a more measured approach. They want to see her clock a 1:53 time during the outdoor season before making a dedicated attempt on the world record.

"I think we’re just desperate to see that 1:53 first before we try and go down to the 1:53.28," Jenny Meadows explained to Athletics Weekly.

Keely Hodgkinson, the newly crowned world indoor 800m champion, currently ranks sixth on the all-time 800m world list with a personal best of 1:54.61.

But following an uninterrupted winter training block, both Jenny Meadows and Traiver Painter are confident she can climb higher in the rankings.

"Because she has those months now of consistent training this winter, she's hitting outdoor times indoors, and it just makes me really excited," Jenny Meadows said.

"I think she will be running those 1:53s that she's so desperate to run," she continued. "Whether it’s [the world record of] 1:53.28, we’ll see. It was in London in 2024 that she saw 1:54 on the clock for the first time, and now she’s really looking forward to that moment when she sees 1:53 on the clock."

Keely Hodgkinson is scheduled to open her outdoor 800m season at the Stockholm Diamond League on June 7, shortly after competing in the 400m at the Rome Diamond League on June 4.