Olympic 800 metres champion Keely Hodgkinson has withdrawn from next Saturday’s London Diamond League meet as she continues to recover from a hamstring issue.
It is the second delayed start to the season for the 23-year-old, who had originally planned her return to action at last month’s Stockholm Diamond League event before suffering a minor setback.
Hodgkinson now intends to open her season later this month, with just two months remaining until the world championships begin in Tokyo.
A statement from Hodgkinson’s team read: “Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will not be competing at next weekend’s London Diamond League as she continues her preparations for the 2025 season.
“After experiencing a minor setback earlier in the summer, Keely is now back in full training and progressing rapidly. However, the London meet has come slightly too soon in her return to competition.
“Together with her team, she has made the decision to delay her season opener by a few more weeks to ensure she is fully race-ready.
“Keely had been looking forward to returning to the London Stadium, the scene of her British 800m record-breaking run in 2024.
“However, her priority remains arriving at the world championships in Tokyo this September in peak form and this decision supports that long-term goal.
“Her focus is now on completing a solid block of training and opening her 2025 campaign later this month. Further updates on Keely’s season debut will be shared in due course.”
Hodgkinson won her maiden Olympic gold at Paris 2024, weeks after setting a British record 800 metres time of one minute 54.61 seconds at the 2024 London Diamond League.
She is hoping to claim a first-ever world title in September after collecting silver in 2022 and 2023.
