Keely Hodgkinson could not deliver Great Britain’s first gold medal of the World Athletics Championships on the final day of action in Tokyo despite a valiant bid, ended up with bronze.
Olympic 800m champion Hodgkinson looked comfortable cruising through the first round and semi-finals in Japan and was the favourite to add a first world title to her collection, having ended up with silver at both of the previous two editions. But she ran out of steam in the final stages as Kenya’s Lilian Odira stormed to gold, with Hodgkinson’s teammate Georgia Hunter Bell pipping her to silver.
The GB team has struggled to consistently trouble the medal table, with only Amy Hunt in the women’s 200m, Jake Wightman in the men’s 1500m (both silver) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon (bronze) securing podium finishes.
Morgan Lake – fresh from becoming the first British female in history to clear 2.00m last month – fell short of a medal in the women’s high jump final, while George Mills looked out of sorts as he finished last in the men’s 5000m final, won by Cole Hocker. The women’s 4x100m team were GB’s final hope for a gold medal but finished fourth after some sloppy baton changes.
Follow updates from the final day of action in Tokyo with our live blog below:
World Athletics Championships updates - final day
- World Athletics Championships in Tokyo comes to a close
- Day 9 schedule, full timetable and results
- Keely Hodgkinson settles for bronze as Lilian Odira wins 800m gold
- Georgia Hunter Bell wins silver after pipping Hodgkinson on the line
- Cole Hocker storms to 5000m gold as George Mills struggles
- GB women's 4x100m relay team settle for fourth
- Britain finish disappointing championships with five medals and no golds
Hodgkinson upbeat despite disappointment
16:01 , Lawrence OstlereHunter Bell had debated racing at both distances at these championships before deciding to focus on the 800m, and was even holding camp room-mates with bronze medallist Hodgkinson.
It was nevertheless a brave and determined showing for Hodgkinson, who just last month returned from a 376-day injury-plagued absence after becoming the Olympic champion.
"I thought I had it, but she (Odira) came past. I did my best to hold on," Hodgkinson told BBC Sport.
"In that last 10m my legs were falling off a little bit because the first lap was so quick. I ran it how I ran it and this is what the result is."
Hodgkinson added: "I was in it to win it and when you do go for the gold, you do risk coming off the podium, or second or third. I am proud of both of us. We both got a medal.
"It is my third 1:54, so to be consistent through that this year is what I am really happy with. It is not what I came here for, but I can't be too disappointed."
Hunter Bell pips Hodgkinson to silver medal in 800m final
15:35 , Lawrence OstlereGeorgia Hunter Bell pipped training partner and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to an 800 metres silver medal by one one hundredth of a second on the final night of action at the World Athletics championships in Tokyo.
The British duo were in gold and silver medal position - led by Hodgkinson - on the home straight until Kenyan Lilian Odira surged past them both to take gold in a championship record 1:54.62, leaving the British runners to battle each other for second.
Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell had to wait before screens inside the stadium showed the latter, who claimed 1500m bronze on her Olympic debut in Paris last summer, had gotten over the line faster by the finest of margins in 1:54.90.
Botswana pip USA to win 4x400m gold
15:14 , Lawrence OstlereBotswana produced a brilliant performance to win the men's world 4x400m relay in atrocious conditions, edging out the United States and South Africa in a blanket finish to become the first African winners of the event.
As rain hammered down, the US – who had scraped into the final after beating Kenya in a run-off on Sunday morning – led the way at the final changeover.
However, Collen Kebinatshipi, the 21-year-old winner of the individual title, ran a fantastic leg to snatch gold in two minutes, 57.76 seconds.
The US, winners of nine of the last 10 world titles, changed all four athletes for the final from their morning runoff, and took silver from South Africa by two thousandths of a second after both being timed at 2:57.83.
The US resumed normal service in the women's final that followed on the drenched track with individual 400m champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone anchoring them to gold in 3.16.61.
The Americans finished the first lap neck-and-neck with the Jamaicans but Lynna Irby-Jackson ran a blistering second leg to give her team a comfortable lead that her last two teammates extended.
The Jamaicans held onto to second place in 3.19.25 despite the efforts of 400m hurdles gold medallist Femke Bol over the final leg for the Dutch defending champions, who finished third in 3.20.18.
Germany's Leo Neugebauer becomes decathlon world champion
14:45 , Lawrence OstlereGermany's Leo Neugebauer stepped up from his Paris Olympic silver to take the world championship decathlon gold on Sunday, as a huge javelin personal best set him up for a 1,500 metres that he paced perfectly.
The German's previous best javelin was 58.99 metres but he extended that to a scarcely believable 64.34 to leapfrog long-time leader Kyle Garland Puerto Rico's Ayden Owens-Delerme took silver and American Garland the bronze.
Garland had a solid start with the fifth-fastest 110 hurdles as Owens-Delerme clocked the best time of the day with 13.65 seconds.
Neugebauer had a poor hurdles but gained considerable ground with the discus, where his decathlon championship record throw of 56.15 metres was almost four metres better than anyone else in the field and eight metres ahead of Garland.
He followed up with a 5.10 metre pole vault, which Owens-Delerme matched for a personal best, and with Garland clearing only 4.80, things closed up
Neugebauer then had a dream javelin, throwing a personal best 61.00 metres and improving it to 64.34 to move to the top of the standings by a slender 15 points from Garland.
However, with a 1,500m personal best far superior to the American's he just needed to avoid disaster in the final event to take the gold.
On a sodden track, Owens-Delerme did all he could with a run of four minutes 17.91 seconds but Neugebauer showed terrific patience to clock a personal best 4:31.89 which was enough for gold.
Neugebauer ended with 8,804 points to the 8,784 of Owens-Deleme. Garland held on for third on 8,703.
Hocker wins 5000m world title
14:14 , Lawrence OstlereCole Hocker timed his run to the line to perfection to win a tactical 5,000m at the world championships and claim his first world title on Sunday, six days after he was disqualified from the 1,500 metres.
The 24-year-old American, who is Olympic champion at 1,500m, crossed the line in 12 minutes 58.30 seconds to make amends for being disqualified from the shorter race for barging through his rivals at the finish of his semi-final.
"I wanted to end the world championships on my terms," said Hocker.
"I felt I was robbed in the 1500m. I knew I had the opportunity today, that I had the legs to take this field. I had a lot of bodies ahead of me but I felt very strong, enough to pass them one by one."
Belgian Isaac Kimeli took silver in 12:58.78, and Frenchman Jimmy Gressier claimed bronze to add to his stunning gold in the 10,000m in Tokyo.
US finish on a team high
13:55 , Lawrence OstlereIn the men's race, the final track event of what has been a fantastic nine days of action, the U.S. were slick in their handovers despite the testing conditions.
Kenny Bednarek got a gold to cheer him up after yet another silver in the 200m, but it was Lyles taking the spotlight again as he brought them home in 37.29 for his second gold after he won a fourth successive 200 following his bronze in the 100.
Fast-finishing Canada took silver in 37.55, with the Netherlands delighted to take bronze in a national record 37.81.
US finish on a team high
13:43 , Lawrence OstlereThe United States finished the world championships in style as Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed memorable individual weeks by helping their country to emphatic golds in both 4x100m relays in driving rain.
Jefferson-Wooden became the second woman to sweep all three sprint titles at one World Athletics Championships.
The 24-year-old, who won the 100-200m double in Tokyo, helped the United States to a lead at the last exchange and Sha'Carri Richardson brought the baton home in 41.75 seconds.
Jamaica finished second in 41.79 to send sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, whose 2013 sweep Jefferson-Wooden emulated, into retirement with a 17th world championship medal.
Germany came third in 41.87 for bronze on the back of a blistering final leg from Gina Lueckenkemper to see off Britain, who finished fourth in 42.07.
World Athletics Championships 2025
13:41 , Lawrence OstlereThat concludes our coverage of the World Athletics Championships, with only one delayed event to finish – the men’s discus final.
USA end way clear at the top of the medal table with 16 golds, ahead of Kenya in second place. Britain finish well down the ladder after winning no golds at all for only the second time.
Australia’s Nicola Olyslager wins high jump gold!
13:39 , Lawrence OstlereThe women’s high jump final has just finished, and Australia’s Olyslager takes gold to add the outdoor world title to her indoor crown, with a clearance of 2.00m. She dances around the track in delight.
USA win men's 4x100m gold!
13:23 , Lawrence OstlereThe US get their changeovers right and Noah Lyles streaks home for gold!
Canada win silver, with Netherlands taking bronze.
Britain end World Championships with five medals
13:19 , Lawrence OstlereSo that’s that for GB’s medal hopes, with only the men’s 4x100m final to come.
Here’s how they finished, with just five medals in total and no golds:
Silver
- Jake Wightman (men's 1500m)
- Amy Hunt (women's 200m)
- Georgia Hunter Bell (women's 800m)
Bronze
- Katarina Johnson-Thompson (women's heptathlon)
- Keely Hodgkinson (women's 800m)
US win women's 4x100m gold as GB fourth!
13:15 , Lawrence OstlereAmerica hold off Jamaica to claim gold as Germany storm back to pip Britain to the bronze – a huge pity! The last two changeovers weren’t great and Daryll Neita had too much to do on the anchor leg.
Women's 4x100m final
13:14 , Lawrence OstlereNext up, the women’s 4x100m final. GB have a strong team, led out by Dina Asher-Smith...
Leo Neugebauer wins decathlon gold!
13:04 , Lawrence OstlereNeugebauer adds world gold to his Olympic silver medal, afte being wheeled off the track – a decathlon will do that to a man.
Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme takes silver and America’s Kyle Garland wins bronze.
Leo Neugebauer wins decathlon gold!
12:56 , Lawrence OstlereThe powerful German trundles round the track in the 1500m, in what is his least favourite event, but all the hard work had already been done after impressing in the three throwing events.
Men's decathlon – final event
12:51 , Lawrence OstlereNext on the track is the climax of the men’s decathlon, the 1500m. Germany’s Leo Neugebauer should be claiming his first world title...
USA win women's 4x400m gold!
12:41 , Lawrence OstlereSydney McLaughlin-Levrone eases to gold, raising the baton as she crosses the line. Jamaica hold on for silver and the Netherlands take bronze.
Not a very interesting race, in the end, due to the sheer strength of the American team.
Women's 4x400m final
12:39 , Lawrence OstlereThe US are going to hand the baton to the world champion with a lead of perhaps 10 metres over Jamaica, who have another 10m on the Dutch. Can Femke Bol close the gap?
Women's 4x400m final
12:38 , Lawrence OstlereAmerica’s Isabelle Whittaker is quickest around the first lap, with Jamaica and Netherlands in tow...
Women's 4x400m final
12:36 , Lawrence OstlereNext up, it’s the women’s race. The rain has eased a little, although the puddles are still on the track.
The US have Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the final leg, which is handy. Netherlands have Femke Bol on the anchor leg, but Jamaica might be more likely to challenge the US, if anyone can.
Botswana win men's 4x400m gold!
12:29 , Lawrence OstlereThe US and South African teams clocked exactly the same time – 2:57.83 – and the US are awarded silver on a photo finish.
GB finished sixth in 3:03.05.
Botswana win men's 4x400m gold!
12:27 , Lawrence OstlereBenjamin ties up in the final metres and both South Africa and Botswana are closing in! In the final metres, it’s Kebinatshipi who splashes over the line to clinch gold for Botswana!
Men's 4x400m final
12:24 , Lawrence OstlereRai Benjamin takes the baton for the final leg, leading the way for the US. He’s chased by two, Botswana and South Africa.
Britain are now nowhere...
Men's 4x400m final
12:23 , Lawrence OstlereThe US and Botswana are way out in front after two legs. Britain are back in the pack, chasing bronze...
Men's 4x400m final
12:22 , Lawrence OstlereFirst up, it’s the men’s 4x400m final. GB begin in lane 9, with Lee Thompson leading out the team.
Relays coming up
12:20 , Lawrence OstlereThe rain is teeming down now in Tokyo – are these relay finals even possible?
Well it looks like they are going ahead, and there will no doubt be drama in these conditions...
GB's 800m medallists speak to BBC Sport
12:10 , Lawrence OstlereGeorgia Hunter Bell on her decision to ditch the 1500m for the 800m in Tokyo: “I wanted to show what I could do in the 800 and I knew I’d have to come in fresh. I’m so happy. I knew it was going to be fast, so I was just like, don’t get dropped.”
Keely Hodgkinson after settling for bronze: “I felt pretty good at the start. Maybe I wasted a bit of energy tussling for position. I was in it to win it, I’m proud of both of us. It’s not what I came here for, but I can’t be too disappointed. I thought I had it, but she came past. In the last 10 metres my legs were falling off a little bit because the first lap was so fast.”
Cole Hocker wins 5000m gold!
12:05 , Lawrence OstlereBelgium’s Isaac Kimeli claims silver and France’s Jimmy Gressier takes the bronze. Jacob Ingebrigtsen wasn’t able to produce his best after a season of injuries, finishing 10th, while George Mills comes in stone last and looks devastated. Something clearly wasn’t right.
Cole Hocker wins 5000m gold!
12:03 , Lawrence OstlereCole Hocker bursts off the final bend and sprints from the rest to claim gold! The 1500m Olympic champion is now a 5000m world champion too, and that’s quite a double.
Men's 5000m final
11:58 , Lawrence OstlereGeorge Mills is struggling to keep in touch with what has been a roaring pace so far in this final – perhaps he is not quite feeling his best today. Ingebrigtsen is right up at the front with about 1500m to go...
Men's 5000m final
11:52 , Lawrence OstlereNext on the track, it’s the men’s 5000m final. Britain’s George Mills is up against a stacked field full of talent, including Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker and Jakob Ingebrigtsen among them...
British duo beaten by Kenya's Odira
11:48 , Lawrence OstlereHodgkinson and Hunter Bell pose together for photos, before going to the side of the track to chat to family. Hodgkinson ultimately did what she set out to do – running a fast 800m – but it wasn’t quite enough. An injury-disrupted season probably made the difference in those final metres.
Lilian Odira beats Keely Hodgkinson to gold!
11:42 , Lawrence OstlereWhat a run by the 26-year-old Odira, clocking a championship record 1:54.62. Wow.
Hunter Bell ran a personal best 1:54.90 and Hodgkinson finished in 1:54.91, pipped by her teammate in a photo finish.
Lilian Odira beats Keely Hodgkinson to gold!
11:39 , Lawrence OstlereHodgkinson runs out of puff in the final 50m, and Kenya’s Lilian Odira bursts around the outside to take gold! Georgia Hunter Bell arrives late to pinch silver, and Hodgkinson settles for bronze.
Women's 800m final
11:38 , Lawrence OstlereKeely kicks into the lead with 200 to go!
Women's 800m final
11:37 , Lawrence OstlereMoraa leads through the bell, 55.73 – it’s quick. Hodgkinson joins her around the bend...
Women's 800m final
11:37 , Lawrence OstlereThey’re off, and Mary Moraa takes to the front with Hodgkinson on her shoulder. It’s a quick first 200...
Women's 800m final
11:36 , Lawrence OstlereHere we go, then! The eight finalists are ready to start in a floodlit Tokyo stadium.
Expect Hodgkinson to go out fast and try to blow everyone away. But Hunter Bell and the three Kenyans will be hard to shake off...
World Athletics Championships
11:32 , Lawrence OstlereHodgkinson, Hunter Bell and the rest are out and getting ready. Nearly time.
“Keely wants a fast race,” says her coach Jenny Meadows. “If the first 400 isn’t the pace she wants, she’ll have to grind it out in the final lap.”
World Athletics Championships
11:27 , Lawrence OstlereHere’s the official startlist for this 800m final:
T-minus 10 minutes until Keely goes for gold!
11:25 , Will CastleJust 10 minutes until Keely Hodgkinson hits the track for what could be Great Britain’s first gold of the World Athletics Championships!
Can the heavy favourite emulate her Paris heroics?
Keely Hodgkinson in the women’s 800m final, next.
Great Britain's medals so far
11:20 , Will CastleIt’s been a disappointing week in Tokyo for Great Britain, who have yet to top the podium and have only managed to rack up three medals throughout the entire World Athletics Championships.
Only Amy Hunt in the women’s 200m, Jake Wightman in the men’s 1500m (both silver) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon (bronze) have secured worlds hardware.
Let’s see if Keely can bail out GB at the death...
Katarina Johnson-Thompson soothes ‘Covid Games trauma’ with Tokyo bronze
11:10 , Paul EddisonKatarina Johnson-Thompson has been through every emotion in Tokyo but now the National Stadium has finally given her a happy ending after a dramatic World Championship bronze.
In the build-up to these worlds, the Olympic silver medallist had insisted that she was not after redemption on the track where she had to be wheeled away in a chair after a calf injury in front of an empty stadium four years ago.
That moment will stick with the 32-year-old from Liverpool as the toughest of her career, but one she has put behind her with a second world title and first Olympic medal in the years since.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson soothes ‘Covid Games trauma’ with Tokyo bronze
‘Pretty lit’: Amy Hunt shocks the world with stunning 200m silver
11:00 , Paul EddisonAmy Hunt’s Cambridge University supervisors would not have approved but when you win a World Athletic Championship silver medal, you can probably get away with describing it as “pretty lit”.
The new face of British sprinting shocked the world as she reached the second step of the podium in the women’s 200m in her first global final.
She has not yet fact-checked it but having earned a 2:1 in English literature at the world's third oldest university before making this most special of World Championship debuts, she may now find herself in a select group of one.
‘Pretty lit’: Amy Hunt shocks the world with stunning 200m silver
Can GB's golden girl top the podium again?
10:57 , Will CastleIf a reminder is needed of how Keely Hodgkinson fared in Paris last year...
How YouTube broke professional athletics
10:45 , Alan SmithJosh Kerr joked earlier this summer that it is simply easier than writing a book. More importantly, it should also be far more lucrative.
Before and after his quest to retain the world 1500m title next week, the Scot will find himself competing for eyeballs on YouTube with great Norwegian rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who is making his comeback in a miserable year of injuries. Two of the other three Brits in their event have polished channels, too.
Hamstrings healed, Keely Hodgkinson will spearhead British dreams of gold and, as much as allowed by the governing body’s broadcasting restrictions, will be charting it online with the help of a close friend.
And at the finish line of Monday’s marathon, American Clayton Young will be filmed by a crew piecing together the latest episode of a documentary series with a production quality befitting mainstream TV.
All 14 sessions from the 20th Athletics World Championships will be shown live on the BBC and behind TNT Sports’ paywall, but this really is a story that will be told through sleek clips online. The revolution may have been televised, but athletics’ evolution belongs on YouTube.
Read more:
Ella Toone hopes Keely Hodgkinson can celebrate with Man Utd’s fans once more
10:30 , Will CastleManchester United attacking midfielder Ella Toone is optimistic childhood friend Keely Hodgkinson will return to Old Trafford with another gold medal around her neck.
“We know how good Keely is as an athlete,” Toone, speaking before the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
“She’s done it before, she’s won big races, so definitely all of us from Tyldesley and Atherton will be rooting for her and wanting her to do well.”
Ella Toone hopes Keely Hodgkinson can celebrate with Man Utd’s fans once more
Keely Hodgkinson names key change needed for 800m final at World Athletics Championships
10:15 , Charlie BennettKeely 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.
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.”
The secrets behind Keely Hodgkinson’s pursuit of gold and a notorious world record
10:00 , Alan SmithAt 7:30pm local time on Sunday evening Keely Hodgkinson will emerge from the call room buried deep inside the arena that made her a star four years ago.
Clutching a water bottle in her right hand, she will leap up and down on the spot a couple of times, run on the spot for three or four seconds and, only when she is ready, stride down the home straight towards the start line with every pair of eyes in Tokyo’s national stadium trained on her.
It has become a familiar routine for the reigning Olympic 800m champion. No longer the nearly-woman, Hodgkinson is now a feared woman. Opponents refuse to lead her out, choosing to follow her every footstep instead of backing themselves.
And once the fussy hamstrings that threatened to write off this year obey, she seems destined for an era of dominance in an event that does not often harbour long-reigning queens.
Read more:
The secrets behind Keely Hodgkinson’s pursuit a notorious world record
Yesterday's results
09:45 , Will CastleWomen's 20km race walk - Final
🥇María Pérez (ESP) - 1:25:54
🥈Alegna González (MEX) - 1:26:06 AR
🥉Fujii Nakano (JPN) - 1:26:18 NR
Men's 20km race walk - Final
🥇Caio Bonfim (BRA) - 1:18:35
🥈Wang Zhaozhao (CHN) - 1:18:43
🥉Paul McGrath (ESP) - 1:18:45
Women's shot put - Final
🥇Jessica Schilder (NED) - 20.29m
🥈Chase Jackson (USA) - 20.21m
🥉Maddison-Lee Wesche (NZL) - 20.06m
Heptathlon
🥇Anna Hall (USA) - 6888 points
🥈Kate O'Connor (IRL) - 6714
🥉Taliyah Brooks (USA) & Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) - 6581
Women's 5000m - Final
🥇Beatrice Chebet (KEN) - 14:54.36
🥈Faith Kipyegon (KEN) - 14:55.07
🥉Nadia Battocletti (ITA) - 14:55.42
Women's javelin throw - Final
🥇Juleisy Angulo (ECU) - 65.12m
🥈Anete Sietiņa (LAT) - 64.64m
🥉Mackenzie Little (AUS) - 63.58m
Men's 800m - Final
🥇Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) - 1:41.86
🥈Djamel Sedjati (ALG) - 1:41.90
🥉Marco Arop (CAN) - 1:41.95
Today's schedule
09:30 , Will CastleHere’s a rundown of all the medal events on the final day in Tokyo:
11:30Women’s High Jump - Final
11:35Women’s 800m - Final
11:50Men’s 5000m - Final
12:00Men’s Discus Throw - Final
12:25Men’s 4x400m Relay - Final
12:40Women’s 4x400m Relay - Final
12:55Men’s 1500m Decathlon
13:10Women’s 4x100m Relay - Final
13:20Men’s 4x100m Relay - Final
Welcome
09:10 , Will CastleGood morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the final day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Keely Hodgkinson will try to deliver Great Britain’s first gold medal of what has been an underwhelming worlds, with the Olympic 800m champion the heavy favourite to add a first world title to her collection, having ended up with silver at both of the previous two editions.
If the 23-year-old can seal the deal, it will help to bail out a GB team that has struggled to consistently trouble the medal table, with only Amy Hunt in the women’s 200m, Jake Wightman in the men’s 1500m (both silver) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon (bronze) securing podium finishes.
The final day does see other British interest with Morgan Lake – fresh from becoming the first British female in history to clear 2.00m last month – going in the high jump final, George Mills chasing a men’s 5000m medal and the men’s 4x400m quartet and the women’s 4x100m team both aiming for relay glory.
