Keely Hodgkinson Talks Twitter Pressure Ahead of Highly Anticipated Audrey Werro Rematch: 'That App is Awful'

Keely Hodgkinson has revealed why she sometimes deletes X (Twitter) as she prepares for a highly anticipated 800m showdown against Audrey Werro and Femke Bol at the European Championships in Birmingham.

The Olympic champion admitted that the reaction surrounding her races can become overwhelming, particularly when social media users speculate about her performances and personal decisions.

“Sometimes I delete Twitter [X]," Hodgkinson admitted as reported by The Times. "That app is awful."

She shared a recent, absurd rumour she encountered online: "Georgia [Hunter Bell] and I were laughing the other day because we saw a TikTok that said she’d paid me £200k not to do the Commonwealth Games. I thought, ‘Well I didn’t get that money so where the f*’s it gone?’ People make up stuff. It’s a strange world we live in sometimes but we just laugh about it and focus on what we’ve got to do.”

Away from the noise online, Hodgkinson is focused on settling a score in one of the most intriguing 800m rivalries of the season.

Her competitive fire was reignited two months ago at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting when Werro produced a stunning performance to defeat her.

With 300m remaining, Hodgkinson surged to the front, only for the Swiss athlete to respond brilliantly in the closing stages. Werro powered past the Olympic champion to clock the third-fastest time in history at 1:53.98.

Keely Hodgkinson finished second in 1:54.33, setting a British outdoor record in her first 800m race of the season.

“I won’t let that happen again," Hodgkinson declared to The Times, reflecting on the defeat and the emergence of a rival who had previously struggled to seriously threaten her.

The result represented a significant breakthrough for Werro. Just months earlier, the Swiss athlete had finished almost half a second behind Hodgkinson when the Briton broke the world indoor record in March.

Their changing fortunes have added a new dimension to the women's 800m, with Werro now emerging as a genuine threat to Hodgkinson's dominance.

The European Championships have therefore taken on added significance for Hodgkinson, who is determined to reassert herself against an increasingly competitive field.

Femke Bol also adds another layer of intrigue to the event. The Dutch star has established herself as one of the world's leading middle-distance runners, setting up a mouth-watering clash with Hodgkinson and Werro.

Keely Hodgkinson is under no illusion about the challenge ahead but believes the strength of the field could bring out her best.

“Audrey’s come on really well, Femke’s running well. But I’m going well too, so I think it’s going to be a really good race,” she commented. “We’ll just see what happens.”

For Hodgkinson, facing increasingly strong competition is part of what makes the sport exciting. “I think this is what I train for,” she explained. “This is the exciting bit. I’ve had lots of people come and challenge me ,and I’ve always been there. I’ve medalled at every single championship.”

Her confidence comes despite a challenging period that has tested her physically and mentally. An injury disrupted her 2025 season before further setbacks emerged this year.

Following the Stockholm race, a training fall left her with badly injured knees, while she suffered another defeat in Eugene, Oregon, this time against world champion Lilian Odira.

However, Hodgkinson responded with a confidence-boosting victory in London last month. Her recent training camp in Portugal has also reportedly gone extremely well, strengthening belief that she is approaching her best form again.

Asked whether she still believes she can finish the season as the world's number one, Hodgkinson responded confidently.

“Yes, I still believe I’m very much capable of that,” she stated. “I feel in a good place. Obviously, there was a bit of a tough patch in June/July, but I’m happy, and I’m excited to compete. I think it will bring out the best in me.”

Looking back at her defeat to Werro in Stockholm, Keely Hodgkinson rejected suggestions that she had produced a poor performance.

“I don’t really think I did anything wrong. I didn’t know what she was capable of at that point. I think that just shows you can’t underestimate anybody.”

Keely Hodgkinson was also frustrated by the way some sections of the public interpreted the result, insisting that her performance deserved greater recognition.

“I think people are trying to make me feel like it was a failure and it really wasn’t,” she said. “That was a British record. It was my fastest time ever, and I’m going to remind myself of that because I’m proud of it.”

With Audrey Werro arriving as a rapidly improving challenger and Femke Bol adding further quality to the field, Keely Hodgkinson knows she cannot afford to take anything for granted.