- Keely Hodgkinson, the defending champion, has secured her spot in the 800m final at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.
- Hodgkinson aims to defend her title in the women’s 800m event, which takes place on June 12, 2024, at the Stadio Olimpico.
- With a personal best and national record of 1:55.19, Hodgkinson is confident in her abilities and is looking to make the most of her title defense.
Newsypeople- Defending champion Keely Hodgkinson has successfully progressed to the final of the women’s 800m event at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.
Her performance in the semi-finals was remarkable, as she clocked a time of 1:58.07, which not only broke the championship record but also set a new record for the fastest semi-final performance in the event’s history.
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Keely Hodgkinson, a 22-year-old two-time world and Olympic silver medalist, expressed her satisfaction with her performance, acknowledging the early timing of the race and her desire to maintain a comfortable pace.
She stated,
“This is still too soon for me, having raced less than 24 hours ago. I felt good today, though. I wanted to be more in control of the race’s tempo”.
Her teammates Erin Wallace and Alex Bell, however, did not join Hodgkinson in the final, missing out on qualification.
The British women’s 4x100m relay team, consisting of Asha Philip, Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith, and Desiree Henry, advanced to the final with ease.
In contrast, the men’s team, featuring CJ Ujah, Jona Efoloko, Richard Kilty, and individual bronze medalist Romell Glave, finished eighth and last in their heat, failing to qualify for the final.
Kilty, a member of the men’s team, expressed his disappointment and confusion regarding their performance. “It was horrendous,” he said. “We should never have been running that slow.
This team, on paper, is incredibly fast. It’s very disappointing that we came here to win and didn’t manage to do so”.
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