Keely Hodgkinson reveals timeline for comeback after injury ends world record hopes at Keely Klassic
The 22-year-old was planning to take down the long-standing women’s indoor 800m world record in Birmingham on Saturday and is now a major doubt to defend her title at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing next month
Keely Hodgkinson has revealed she will be out for six weeks with a hamstring tear after pulling out of the Keely Klassic on Saturday with injury.
The Olympic gold medalist, who admitted she was “absolutely gutted” after her diagnosis, must now wait for another time to attempt to break the women’s indoor 800m world record.
The 22-year-old faces a spell on the sidelines and will almost certainly miss the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China on 21-23 March.
"I'm really gutted,” Hodgkinson told Sky Sports. “I was looking forward to this, it was a big goal to go for, especially after Paris. Everything was going well, I had my last training session, it went well, did some strides after training, I felt this pull in my hamstring. At first I thought, 'maybe it's not too bad', then I got a scan and it revealed I got a tear.
“Unfortunately hamstrings are temperamental, they're not to be messed with. I'm not going to be running for a little while.
"The branding here looks amazing, it makes me sad, it would have been so good to do this in front of a home crowd, give the record a good go, it'll still be a great day.
"The doctor said it was a moderate one, not on the bad side, it's near the tendon, it's fragile, it's a grade three, it's decently done, but I'm hoping up to six weeks, could be quicker, could be longer, but it shouldn't affect my summer, it's just really bad timing.
"I did believe it could have been done, for everything to go right, it's more than I'm capable of, the pacing has to go right, but it's set up perfectly to do so. I had an image of how well it could have been.
“It's really sad to not be able to put this together, I'm still young and I will hopefully have many more indoors to give it a go. I've had my eye on this record for some years now and I'll hopefully come back and give it a go."
The Keely Klassic will be available to watch live on BBC iPlayer, with Olympic bronze medalist Georgia Hunter-Bell starring in the women’s 1,500m and Olympian Neil Gourley racing the men’s 1,000m.
Keely Klassic full schedule
All times in GMT
10:45 - 400m Women's Heats (National)
11:00 - 400m Men's Heats (National)
11:15 - 4x200m U17 Men's Heats (National)
11:30 - 4x200m U17 Women's Heats (National)
11:45 - 60m Men's Heats (National)
12:05 - 400m Men's Final (Elite)
12:10 - 400m Women's Final (Elite)
12:20 - 60m Women's Heats (National)
12:45 - 60mH Women's Final (Elite)
13:00 - 60mH Men's Final (Elite)
13:15 - Triple Jump Women's Final (National)
13:25 - 60m Men's Final (Elite)
13:35 - 60m Women's Final (Elite)
13:45 - 60m Para Men's Final (National)
13:50 - 60m Para Women's Final (National)
14:05 - 800m U17 Men's (National)
14:10 - Long Jump Men's Final (National)
14:15 - 4x200m Mixed School Age Final (Elite)
14:25 - 4x200m U17 Men's Final (National)
14:35 - 4x200m U17 Women's Final (National)
14:45 - High Jump Women's Final (National)
14:50 - 200m Women's Final (Elite)
15:00 - 200m Men's Final (National)
15:10 - Pole Vault Women's Final (National)
15:20 - 1500m Women's Final (Elite)
15:35 - 400m Men's Final (Elite)
15:45 - 1000m Men's Final (Elite)
16:00 - 400m Women's Final (Elite)
16:10 - 600m Men's Final (Elite)
16:21 - 1000m Women's Final (Elite)
16:32 - 800m Men's Final (Elite)
16:43 - 800m Women's Final (Elite)
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