Keely Hodgkinson sets new world U-20 indoor 800m record

Keely Hodgkinson, a European U-18 champion, sets the new U-20 world record of 800 meters in indoors with a time of 1:59.03 at the Indoor Track & Field meeting in Vienna.

According to the World Athletics website, Hodgkinson held back slightly from the quick opening pace and placed fourth as the pacemaker led the field halfway in 57.56. She then took the lead with 300 meters to go, and when the bell rang, Hodgkinson's time was 1:28.83, which had established a comfortable lead.

Still only 18, European U18 champion @keelyhodgkinson smashes the world indoor U20 800m record with 1:59.03 in Vienna! pic.twitter.com/oPcRaXytHu

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) January 30, 2021

The 18-year-old Hodgkinson continued to drift away from the field and charged across the line in 1:59.03, thus breaking the previous two-second mark set by Ethiopia's Meskerem Legesse in 2004.

Hodgkinson said, "The race was perfect. I've never gone through the bell that quickly before, but I tried not to panic. It couldn't have gone better, and I'm really happy."

Hodgkinson had participated at this meeting in 2020 and broke the European U-20 indoor record with a time of 2:01.16.