Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson abruptly withdrew from the women’s 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Sunday, stepping away from the blocks in tears moments before the gun. In her absence, British record holder Amber Anning dominated the field, winning the national title and breaking her own championship record with a time of 50.16.
Key Details:
- Hodgkinson felt a pre-race “twinge” and muscle tightness during warm-ups.
- Her camp confirmed the withdrawal was strictly precautionary.
- She is currently targeting Jarmila Kratochvilová’s 43-year-old 800m world record this summer.
- Her next scheduled race is the 800m at the Eugene Diamond League on July 4.
The scene unfolded just as the athletes were taking their marks. Stationed in lane nine, Hodgkinson suddenly grimaced and stopped her pre-race strides. She moved to the side of the track, crouching in visible distress before officials led her away from the competition area.
Hodgkinson quickly released a statement to clarify the situation and ease concerns. “I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent standing on the start line, so I made the tough decision to step away and not race,” she said. “I didn’t want to risk anything this summer.”
Her team immediately backed the precautionary move, explaining that she experienced muscle tightness and chose to play it safe. The sudden exit caught her competitors off guard. Training partner Georgia Hunter Bell, who won the 800m final earlier in the day, expressed shock at the development. “I’m not sure what’s up, because she was warming up really well,” Hunter Bell said. “We were warming up together, and she was looking amazing… I think, obviously, she knows she’s in really good shape.”
The extreme caution is rooted in recent physical setbacks. Hodgkinson suffered a severe hamstring tear in February 2025 that sidelined her for 376 days, restricting her to a bronze medal at the Tokyo World Championships. She is currently using the 400m events to build first-lap speed for a planned assault on the 800m world record, having recently lowered her own national record to 1:54.33 in Stockholm. She returns to her primary distance on July 4 at the Prefontaine Classic.