Keely Hodgkinson runs 1:54.87 in Liévin, the 800 m world indoor record by nearly a second

Keely Hodgkinson said last weekend that Liévin had been the plan for six months. On Thursday night at the Arena Stade Couvert, in the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, she ran 800 m in 1:54.87. The world indoor record had been Jolanda Ceplak's 1:55.82, set on 3 March 2002, older than most of the field. She took 0.95 off it, subject to ratification.

The splits were 26.83 at 200 m, 56.00 at 400 m and 1:25.05 at 600 m, then a last lap that kept the pace. Audrey Werro of Switzerland was second in 1:58.38 and Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia third in 1:58.83. The time is 0.26 outside Hodgkinson's outdoor best of 1:54.61 and the 15th fastest 800 m ever run on any track. Five days earlier she had run 1:56.33 in a heat in Birmingham.

The rest of the meeting, the penultimate Gold stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour, was strong enough to be a story on another night. Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.00 m, the first six-metre vault of 2026. Freweyni Hailu won the women's 3000 m in a world-leading 8:24.59, with Nadia Battocletti third in an Italian record 8:26.44. Jessica Hull ran 5:26.68 for 2000 m, the second fastest indoors ever. Eliott Crestan won the 800 m in a meeting record 1:43.91, Isaac Nader the 1500 m in a Portuguese record 3:32.44, and Addisu Yihune the 3000 m in 7:33.58. Georgia Hunter Bell took the women's 1500 m in 4:00.21.

A record that had stood for 24 years, beaten by almost a second by a runner who told everyone in advance where and when she would do it. There is not much to add.

Sources: World Athletics; Athletics Weekly.