This year’s World Athletics Championships delivered an unexpected twist as Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, the reigning Olympic 800m champion, clinched a bronze medal in a nail-biting finish on Sunday. With her in the race was her teammate and training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell, who celebrated a silver finish, marking a historic moment for British athletics. It was the first instance since 2007 that two British athletes shared the podium in a world championship event.
Emerging as the surprising victor was Kenya’s Lilian Odira, who surged ahead with a dramatic late move to claim gold with a time of 1 minute 54.62 seconds, achieving a personal best by nearly two seconds. Prior to this race, Odira was ranked 17th in the world, making her victory all the more astonishing.
Hodgkinson demonstrated impressive resilience throughout the race, finishing in 1:54.91—her third fastest time ever. However, the strain of running three races within four days took its toll, especially after she battled against hamstring injuries that kept her off the track for over a year.
Reflecting on her performance, Hodgkinson expressed disappointment despite her podium finish, saying, “I thought I had it… I didn’t feel Odira coming. I did my best to hang on, but the legs didn’t quite have it. It’s been really difficult here, but I’ve made the podium and that’s something to be proud of.”
Hunter Bell, who clocked a personal best of 1:54.90, expressed her excitement at winning silver, exclaiming her happiness and looking forward to a well-deserved break after her successful outing.
The race itself was intense from the start, with Kenyan athlete Mary Moraa darting out strong, clocking 26.46 seconds for the first 200 meters and a blistering 55.73 seconds by the halfway mark. Hodgkinson remained competitive alongside Moraa but found herself fading as the race entered the final straight, ultimately unable to fend off Odira’s powerful late charge for glory.
