The Olympic 800m champion is aiming to smash Yolanda Czeplak’s long-standing mark of 1:55.82 in Birmingham in the New Year.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 Keeley Hodgkinson says she will attempt to break the 800m world record in Birmingham on Saturday 15 February.
The meet has been dubbed the Keely Klassic, but as a World Athletics Indoor Tour bronze meet, it will feature a number of other events.
The 22-year-old’s target is Yolanda Czeplak’s 1:55.82, set on March 3, 2002, which coincides with Hodgkinson’s birthday.Like Yarmila Kratochvilova outdoor world record: 1:53.28 Dating back to 1983, Ceplak’s indoor record is also controversial, as the Slovenian athlete served a doping ban from 2007-2009.
At the European Indoor Championships in Vienna, Czeplak narrowly edged home favorite Stefanie Graf, three hundredths of a second behind Czeplak. Graf, who later also served a career doping ban, took the lead with 150m to go, but Czeplak responded in 29.14 over the final 200m to win in the closing metres.
Jolanda Czeplak (left) and Stephanie Graf (Getty)
Czeplak went on to win European outdoor gold later that year in Munich, before winning bronze behind Kelly Holmes in the 2004 Olympic 800m in Athens.
“I am extremely excited to announce the Keely Klassic, my first Olympic track title,” said Hodgkinson are some of the best athletes in the UK and there will be a special focus on the 800m.
“I am also excited about trying to break the world record. this is an opportunity for me to take my career to the next level while giving back to the sport that has given me so much.”
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Hodgkinson, whose best times are 1:54.61 outdoors and 1:57.18 indoors, added: “We want to make this event an experience like no other for athletes and fans. We’re creating an atmosphere that blends the intensity of world-class sports with the energy and excitement of live entertainment.”
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“I look forward to being a part of this new chapter, and I’m excited for fans to witness history in the making.”
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