Hodgkinson Sets Sights on Athletics' Longest-Standing World Record in Pursuit of Global Supremacy

With an impressive array of accolades, including a world record, Olympic gold, a world gold, and multiple European golds, Keely Hodgkinson is now focused on shattering the longest-standing world record in athletics. The 24-year-old's ambition is to achieve 'global domination,' and she is more determined than ever to push beyond her limits. The women's outdoor 800m world record, set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983 with a time of 1:53.28, is her next target. Following her first world indoor title win in a championship record time, Hodgkinson expressed her delight with the weekend's events, stating that it has been everything she could have imagined. She took the season week by week and is thrilled about the exciting times ahead, including the lows that come with the journey. With the European Championships approaching, Hodgkinson is eager to build on her recent success, driven by her word for the year: 'domination.' She believes that breaking the world record is possible, citing evidence from her training, and is confident that she can achieve it. However, the record she is chasing is shrouded in controversy, with claims of performance-enhancing drugs surrounding Kratochvilova's achievement. Only two athletes have come close to the record since the millennium: Kenya's Pamela Jelimo in 2008 and South Africa's Caster Semenya in 2018. Currently, Hodgkinson holds the sixth position on the all-time list with her Olympic gold-winning time of 1:54.61. After a spell of good health and uninterrupted training during the indoor season, she is certain that she can break the record. Hodgkinson attributes her success to her hard work and the opportunity to focus on her performance without any niggling problems. Alongside her, training partner Georgia Hunter Bell and Molly Caudery also secured gold medals, resulting in three golds for Great Britain within a span of 30 minutes. Caudery, like Hodgkinson, has faced her share of injuries, including a ruptured ankle ligament in Tokyo, but has persevered to reach the top of the podium. Despite waking up with a terrible cold on the day of the event, Caudery mustered the strength to compete and ultimately emerged victorious.