Slovenia’s 2002 time of 1:55.82 looks set to live on borrowed time as Olympic champion Hodgkinson arrives in France after setting a British record in Birmingham on Saturday.
A twist of fate means that the current women’s indoor 800m world record of 1:55.82 was set by Jolanda Czeplak on the same birthday as Keely Hodgkinson on 3 March 2002. Fast forward nearly a quarter of a century and on Thursday (February 19) in Livin, the Olympic champion gave up her birthday hope early. Cheplak’s name in his own record book.
after improving his own British record to 1:56.33 last weekend With such ease, without the aid of a pacemaker or wave lights, many would expect Cheplak’s record to be almost formal. With Hodgkinson in perhaps the best shape of her life so far after a hard month of training with her M11 Track Club in Potchefstroom, South Africa, she could even close in on Yarmila Kratochvilova’s outdoor world record of 1:53.28 set back in 1983.
Hodgkinson was calm and full of smiles in Birmingham last weekend, but we can expect him to be more steely-eyed on Thursday. Czeplak’s record, after all, has been in his sights for some time. In 2025, he wanted to attack the Keely Klassic, but had to pull out with an injury.
Czeplak set the record after a tense battle with host country Stefanie Graf of Austria at the European Indoor Championships in Vienna. Slovenia’s Ceplak led from the start, covering the 200m in 28.34, the 400m in 57.34 and the 600m in 86.68. To the delight of the cheering crowd, Graf then took the lead with 150 meters to go, but Czeplak responded with a final lap of 29.14 to win by just three-hundredths of a second in the final meters.
“I was shaking because of the crowd cheering for Graf,” Czeplak says, “but I told myself that if I’m going to die, I’m going to die.” I gave everything I had because I knew I was getting close to the world record, which was my main goal.”
Czeplak improved her best time by 1.36 seconds that day and went on to win European gold in Munich later that year, before winning bronze behind Kelly Holmes in the 2004 Olympic 800m in Athens.
Controversially, the Slovenian also later served a doping ban from 2007-2009, while Graf was also banned for two years in 2010. Coincidentally, Jenny Meadows, who now coaches Hodgkinson with husband Trevor Painter, also ran the 800 meters in the 200 heats in Europe but did not finish after 200. 400 m mark.
Hodgkinson’s opposition in Lievin includes 2024 world indoor champion and Olympic silver medalist Tsige Duguma. Hodgkinson has competed in Livin twice before, although not since 2023, but Dugouma won the 800m at the meeting 12 months ago.
This could be good as Duguma competes and pushes Hodgkinson like Graf did to Czeplak in 2002. Otherwise, it could lead to Hodgkinson saving up a last shot to win the race, which sometimes happens in record bids if the lead isn’t completely clear.
“I’ve been very vocal about wanting to get it before,” Hodgkinson said last weekend. “I feel like that’s my record.
READ MORE. Kratochvilova’s immortal world record
Czeplak also commented on the record attempt this week, saying: “Of course, I wish him all the best and I hope he manages to break the world record. I believe he can do it.”
The track certainly has a reputation for speed. Among other things Jakob Ingebrigtsen set world records in the 1500m and the mile last year at a French location.
Of course, the race on Thursday at 22:25 local time (21:25 GMT) is not to be missed.
One keen spectator who will have a bird’s-eye view of the action is Femke Bol as the world 400m hurdles champion moves into the 800m. He is not part of the 800m line in Leeuwin and was due to attack Hodgkinson’s 600m world record of 83.41 on the same night, but announced on Tuesday that he would not compete due to a minor injury.
Elsewhere in Leeuwin, Ben Pattison runs the men’s 800m just four days later Claiming the British 800m title in Birmingham.
If she recovers from the injury that ruled her out of the British Indoor Championships last weekend, Georgia Hunter Bell will be hoping to run in the 1500m and has Laura Muir’s British record of 3:59.58 and Abeba Aregawi’s European record of 3:57.91 in her sights.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti runs the 3000m with a chance of Muir’s European record of 8:26.41, and 1500m world champion Isaac Nader of Portugal runs the 1500m.
Italian Leonardo Fabbri will meet American Joe Kovacs in the men’s shooting competition. Emanuel Karalis of Greece leads the men’s pole vault and Sam Kendricks leads the women’s pole vault. Sprint steeplechase events include France’s Wilhelm Belosian and Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji.
