Keely Hodgkinson Reacts After Blistering Relay Split and 800m Gold at World Indoors: 'I Surprise Myself!!'

Keely Hodgkinson has expressed her excitement following her impressive split in the women’s 4x400m at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on Sunday, March 22.

Before the relay, Keely Hodgkinson had dropped a championship record to claim top honours in the women’s 800m, crossing the finish line in 1:55.30.

Switzerland’s Audrey Werro finished second in a national record time of 1:56.64 as American Addison Wiley completed the podium in a personal best time of 1:58.36.

She then headed to the relay, where she anchored Team Great Britain to a fifth-place finish in a season's best time of 3:28.09.

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Team USA won the race, anchored by Shamier Little, as they clocked 3:25.81, with the Netherlands finishing second in 3:26.00. Spain rounded up the podium in 3:26.04.

The reigning Olympic 800m champion dropped the fastest split despite Team Great Britain missing out on a podium place.

Less than an hour after her exploits in the 800m, Keely Hodgkinson clocked the fastest split of the race, 50.10 seconds. Her compatriot Dina Asher-Smith’s 51.29 was also one of the quickest of the day.

In a tweet on her X (Twitter) handle, Keely Hodgkinson was in awe of her explosive split. She said: “Me running 23.4 through 200m has me gagggeedd lmao, sometimes I surprise myself!!!??!!😂😂.”

Speaking to the media after the race, Keely Hodgkinson reflected on her performance after the World Indoor Championships, expressing satisfaction with her overall condition and preparation, noting that she had enjoyed a smooth and uninterrupted training period throughout the winter.

The world 800m bronze medallist indicated that she entered the competition with confidence in her fitness, believing that any competitor hoping to outperform her would have to deliver an exceptional effort.

She emphasised her competitive mindset, explaining that she always gives her all in races and is determined to challenge strongly until the very end. Her approach, she added, was to adopt an aggressive strategy from the start to control the pace and put herself in a strong position early on.

Looking back, Keely Hodgkinson suggested that her performance aligned closely with her expectations given her current level, while also hinting that under slightly different circumstances, such as a schedule without prior rounds, she might have been capable of delivering an even stronger result.

“Haven't done that since Paris so I'm really proud of myself. First world title. It never gets easier. I will say that I think going for gold medals is definitely a lot harder than going for records. Going for records, like if you fail, so what? It's a time,” Keely Hodgkinson said.

“Going for gold and failing, I've got to wait until the next championship before I get into training, so this definitely means a lot more. And I definitely will reflect back and be able to calm down and be really proud of myself that I've managed to do it.

“Not many people would do a world into a final, win it, and then go on and do the 400, relay straight after. I split a 50-point, I'm actually so impressed with myself. That's made my weekend.”