If Keely Hodgkinson had her way, this weekend would have been about making history. Instead, she found herself making headlines for a completely different reason—one of the most dreaded words in an athlete’s vocabulary: injury.
The reigning Olympic 800m champion was supposed to light up the track at her very own Keely Klassic, a brand-new event in Birmingham designed to celebrate British athletics.
But instead of smashing Jolanda Ceplak’s long-standing 800m indoor world record (1:55.82, set back in 2002), Hodgkinson was left nursing a torn hamstring, watching from the sidelines as the event unfolded without her.
And to put it plainly—she was devastated.
“I won’t lie—when I got the news, I shed a tear,” Hodgkinson admitted. “I was in the best shape of my life.”
Fresh off an Olympic gold in Paris and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award (which is a very big deal in the UK), Hodgkinson was ready to lay down a world record attempt in front of a home crowd, making the Keely Klassic a must-watch event.
But a cruel twist of fate intervened during a routine training session—one that turned out to be anything but routine.
The Injury: A Grade 3 Hamstring Tear
Hamstrings: the Achilles’ heel of any sprinter or middle-distance runner (apart form, you know, the Achilles itself). One moment you’re flying, the next, you feel an unsettling pull, then pain—and suddenly, your season is in jeopardy. For Hodgkinson, that moment came during some final strides after a solid training session.
Initially, she hoped it was nothing serious, maybe just tightness. But the scan results told a different story: a Grade 3 tear near the tendon. In layman’s terms? This was no small tweak.
“Hamstrings are quite temperamental, and they’re not to be messed with,” she told Sky Sports. “I’m not going to be ready for a little while.”
What Exactly Is a Grade 3 Hamstring Tear?
To understand the severity of Hodgkinson’s injury, here’s a quick breakdown of hamstring injuries:
- Grade 1: Mild strain, a few muscle fibers overstretched. Recovery: 1-3 weeks.
- Grade 2: Partial tear, noticeable pain and swelling. Recovery: 4-8 weeks.
- Grade 3: Severe tear (or even a complete rupture). Recovery: 6+ weeks, sometimes longer.
Hodgkinson’s injury is near the tendon, which makes things even trickier. Tendon injuries take longer to heal because they have less blood flow than muscle tissue, meaning she’ll have to be extra cautious to avoid re-injury.
What This Means for Her Season
With her diagnosis, Hodgkinson is also officially out of the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China next month. That’s a big blow—not just to her, but to British Athletics, who were banking on her to bring home more hardwear.
The good news? Her outdoor season should be unaffected, meaning she can still build towards the European Championships and the Diamond League circuit later in the year.
“It’s going to be the outdoor season now, probably, until I do race again,” she said. “Which is a bit of a shame.”
BBC Dumps the Keely Klassic
Despite her absence from the track, Hodgkinson still showed up at the Keely Klassic to support her fellow athletes and the event she helped create.
“This event was never just about me—it was always about showcasing British talent and bringing more energy to athletics.”
Meanwhile, BBC came under fire for relegating the event from its main broadcast to its online-only iPlayer in favor of airing Flog It!—yes, a rerun of an antique appraisal show over one of Britain’s biggest athletics stars.
And what’s even more damning: according to The Guardian, the decision to dump the Keely Klassic came before Hodgkinson’s injury, suggesting that the public broadcaster didn’t believes re-runs can outperform a live track event.
The irony?
Hodgkinson’s Olympic final in Paris pulled 9.1 million viewers. The decision raised eyebrows across the sport, though it saved the BBC from an awkward moment when Hodgkinson had to withdraw last-minute.
Hodgkinson’s injury is undoubtedly frustrating—for her, her team, and the fans. But she’s still only 22, with plenty more opportunities to chase that world record. As she put it herself, “I’m still young, and I’ll hopefully have many more indoors to give it a go.”
