Keely Hodgkinson looked serene in booking her place in a fifth consecutive global final before Britain’s golden girl admitted she needs to fix her warm-up routine.
There were no indications during the race that the Olympic 800m champion was in any trouble, setting herself up at the front of a challenging heat and keeping the field at a distance.
Kenya’s Sarah Moraa did come through and share first place in the heat – but with the top two guaranteed a spot in tomorrow’s final, that was not an issue.
Hodgkinson’s time of one minute 57.53 seconds was nearly three seconds off her season’s best, and while there is clearly plenty more to come, devising a new warm-up routine is the next order of business.
She said: “It’s an interesting one, it doesn’t feel good out there. The whole warm-up situation, you are warming up for almost two hours, it can be quite draining.
“Maybe we will have to look at doing something a bit better come Sunday.
“I’m happy to be in my fifth global final in a row. That is an achievement in itself, so I’m happy with that and to be in contention for another medal.
“This would mean more to me than last year. Just the journey here makes it that much sweeter. It’s so difficult to get here anyway and to come here and perform especially after the year I’ve had.
“I’m grateful to be running I want to put out a performance that I’m proud of and be able to say I left it all out there, I don’t want anything left. If that is good enough to win, amazing, and if it’s not, then it’s all I can do.”
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Hodgkinson will be joined in the final by training partner and roommate Georgia Hunter Bell, who had earlier eased through the first heat in second place behind another Moraa – Kenya’s defending champion Mary, who looks to be returning to the sort of form that saw her defeat Hodgkinson in Budapest two years ago.
Hunter Bell was not even back in full-time athletics when that race took place, but she is dreaming of making it a double British podium, a year on from her Olympic 1500m bronze.
She said: “I feel really good and just wanted to get the job done. Today felt a lot better than yesterday. I felt like I just needed a run out.”
Meanwhile George Mills, with father Danny watching in the stands, booked his place in Sunday’s men’s 5000m final after coming through his heat.
Drawn alongside Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the British record holder spent much of the race at the back with the Olympic champion.
But with 2km remaining, he made his move towards the front and ensured that he finished fourth, comfortably inside the top eight to progress.
Ingebrigtsen had a little bit more of a scare, taking the eighth and final qualifying spot, before reassuring over his fitness after crashing out of the heats of the 1500m following his injury-blighted season.
The Norwegian said: “I guess relief is clear. I feel better than Sunday. That's kind of how I have to think, that I've managed to get my legs to let go a bit since Sunday.
“I got a run on the track on Tuesday, and ran it easy. And I guess I got the answer there that it had loosened up a bit, and my legs responded a little better than they did in the 1500. And that gave me enough hope that I could do this.”
Mills, meanwhile, looked comfortable in only his second race since recovering from a broken wrist suffered at the London Diamond League in July.
He said: “I think heats are always deceptive. You want to save as much energy as possible and just get through it without too many issues. And I think I managed to do that.”
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