Hodgkinson Shrugs Off Kit Mishap To Cruise Into World Indoor Semi-finals

No force has travel adjacent to knocking Keely Hodgkinson disconnected her stride successful 2026. But aft breezing to nan semi-finals of nan world indoor championships, she revealed that her preparations had been interrupted by an airline, KLM, losing her kit for 48 hours connected nan formation to Poland.

It led to nan overwhelming favourite for 800m golden having to train successful immoderate she could request aliases get – and getting a blister arsenic a result. Not that it seemed to fuss her arsenic she cruised into Saturday’s semi-finals pinch a ascendant triumph successful 2mins 0.32secs.

“It came past night, convey God,” said Hodgkinson. “I was starting to get annoyed. A very bully Polish woman fto maine get her spikes, and they gave maine a blister. I conscionable didn’t person immoderate kit aliases my supplements. But it’s each bully now.”

Hodgkinson believes she is successful nan style of her life having kicked connected again since breaking nan world indoor 800m grounds past month. But she admitted that she is not a large instrumentality of having to title 3 times successful 3 days successful Torun.

“I conscionable don’t for illustration rounds,” she said. “I don’t for illustration them astatine all. That was horrible, to beryllium honest. When you’re truthful utilized to training astatine a definite hit you conscionable person to make judge you get done nan rounds, conserve power and not autumn over. All these things do spell done your head.

“I’m very knowledgeable astatine this now, but you’re exposed to anything. So I’m conscionable gladsome that’s done. Tomorrow, we measurement it up again.”

Hodgkinson’s extremity is clear: her first world title. “Obviously I want to get gold,” she said. “I won’t beryllium happy pinch thing else. I’ve had a play truthful acold that’s been amazing, let’s dream it continues.”

Hodgkinson besides expressed her alleviation astatine being capable to tally astatine these world indoor championships aft missing retired 3 times done injury.

“In 2022 I sewage each nan measurement here, didn’t extremity up starting because I tore my quads. In 2024, I had a knee wounded that put maine retired complete winter, truthful I missed Glasgow. And past twelvemonth I tore my hamstring conscionable earlier it started. So it’s been emotional.”

Britain’s Isabelle Boffey besides made it done to nan semi-finals arsenic a fastest loser while nan Swiss jock Audrey Werro, who is Hodgkinson’s main rival here, laid down a marker winning her power successful 1:59.91. “For my day adjacent week, nan cleanable coming would beryllium a golden medal,” Werro said.

In nan men’s 800m, Britain’s 2023 world title bronze medallist Ben Pattison looked beardown successful winning his heat, arsenic did nan 17-year-old American phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus, who eased into nan semi-finals successful 2nd place.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh sporting bluish and yellowish oculus constitution to show her support for Ukraine. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

The first golden of nan championships was won by Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh successful nan precocious jump pinch a clearance of 2.01m. Unusually 3 women took metallic aft they each cleared 1.99m without immoderate failures beforehand – Ukraine’s Yuliya Levchenko, Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers and nan Serb Angelina Topic.

Mahuchikh, who competed wearing bluish and yellowish oculus makeup, said she had done truthful to punctual nan world assemblage of Russia’s aggression. “I request to show nan full world that I’m from Ukraine and I protect my state connected track,” she added. “We conflict for Ukraine.”