Keely Hodgkinson secured second place at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, narrowly missing victory to rival Audrey Werro. The 800m runner revealed post-race that she competed with a torn hamstring.
This latest encounter followed a season where Hodgkinson has repeatedly finished behind Werro in highly anticipated matchups. Werro, in her first full season as a professional athlete, has shown remarkable improvement, clocking multiple sub-1:54 times over 800m, a feat not achieved by a woman in 40 years before this season.
Despite not needing to push the pace to its limit, Werro controlled the final race before surging to win. Hodgkinson, however, managed to secure second place, overtaking two-time world 400m hurdles champion Femke Broeders-Bol, who has also made significant progress since switching events this season.
Hodgkinson expressed enthusiasm for the competitive rivalry, stating, "I honestly love it. I think it's really great for our sport and for women's sport to have so many amazing women pushing each other." She added, "I'm happy to be part of it. Hopefully, next time, I'll come out on top. I'm always there fighting. That's something to be proud of and take into the future. I'm only 24 and hopefully I'll be around for a lot longer."
Although she did not win the title, Hodgkinson earned $75,000 for her performance. The Ultimat Championship is offering a total of $10 million in prize money across its three days. The event aims to bring together top athletes at the end of the season and is experimenting with an innovative format intended to shape the future of the sport.