Keely Hodgkinson 'disappointed' despite world best 800m time

The 20-year-old from Atherton - who is coached by Wigan duo Trevor Painter and his wife, Jenny Meadows - clocked 1:57.87 at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Torun.

Returning to the scene of her European indoor 800m victory in 2021, Hodgkinson easily saw off the challenge of Commonwealth champion Mary Moraa, who finished almost four seconds behind in fourth.

However, her first thought was missing out on her own British record of 1:57.20.

“This track brings back some good memories for me,” she told Athletics Weekly. “The crowd was really loud and that carried me.

“It was good to get a decent first 800m of the season but to be honest, I am a bit disappointed with the time.

"I just did not commit enough early in the race, but I will try again to run fast in a few weeks.

"If everything goes perfectly, maybe I can come close to the world record, but it is a tough mark to beat.”

Only a fortnight ago, Hodgkinson broke the 600m world indoor record in Manchester.

The previous record was 1:23.44 set by Olga Kotlyarova in 2004.

World Athletics president Lord Coe believes Hodgkinson can become a dominant force on the track – with next year’s Olympics looming on the horizon.

"I'm loathe to start predicting but you have to say that with a clear run and unencumbered period of training without injuries she's got an outstanding chance in Paris in 2024,” he said.