Keely Hodgkinson Withdraws from Zurich Diamond League 800m
Key Points
- Hodgkinson withdrew from the women's 800 metres at Thursday's Zurich Diamond League meeting due to recovery needs.
- The British Olympic champion lost to Switzerland's Audrey Werro at the European Championships in Birmingham earlier this month.
- World 800m champion Lilian Odira of Kenya also pulled out of the race after suffering illness and weakness since the Commonwealth Games.
Notable Absences Shape Women's 800m Field
Hodgkinson's absence from the Zurich race will be joined by another significant withdrawal. Lilian Odira of Kenya, the reigning world 800m champion, has pulled out of the race after suffering from illness and weakness since the Commonwealth Games.
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The women's 800m at Zurich will feature Femke Broeders-Bol, the world 400m hurdles champion, who has stepped up to the 800m this season. Georgia Hunter-Bell, Hodgkinson's training partner, will also compete; Hunter-Bell won 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month.
Hodgkinson had signed up to race in Zurich specifically to compete against the world's best competitors. "I signed myself up for Zurich because I knew everyone was in it but me. I want to be in with the best and I think that's going to bring out the best in me," Hodgkinson said in Birmingham earlier this month.
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The Zurich Diamond League meeting on Thursday is the penultimate event of the season, with the final taking place in Brussels over two days on 4 and 5 September. For Hodgkinson, the withdrawal represents a decision to prioritise recovery over competition at an elite level after a condensed schedule that included major championships.
Sources: BBC Sport and other international news outlets.
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