At the World Athletics Championships , Britain has matched its greatest medal haul , securing a total of 10 medals in Budapest, which equals its achievement three decades ago in Stuttgart.
Amidst an evening where the National Athletics Centre resembled a vast Turkish bath, British athletes seized three more medals. Notably, Keely Hodgkinson clinched a silver in the 800m event, while both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams secured bronze medals. These successes propelled Britain to a joint third position in the overall medal tally.
Concluding the nine-day Athletics Championships , the United States led with an impressive 29 medals, followed by Jamaica in second place with 12. Alongside Britain, Kenya also celebrated a tally of 10 medals.
For Hodgkinson, however, this occasion held a sense of déjà vu with an intriguing twist. Once again, the gifted 21-year-old British athlete entered a global 800m final with a firm belief that victory was within her grasp. And once again, she poured her heart and soul into the race, only to narrowly miss out on the top spot. Astonishingly, this marked Hodgkinson’s third silver medal across two World Championships and an Olympics since 2021.
Hodgkinson Rival
Adding a bittersweet note, Hodgkinson finally managed to outpace her rival, the American Athing Mu, who had secured gold at both the Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 world championships in Eugene. Nonetheless, this time it was the Kenyan athlete Mary Moraa who proved her mettle, clinching the gold with a time of 1 minute 56.03 seconds.
Hodgkinson shared her thoughts, saying, “I was genuinely excited about this opportunity. I maintained a strong belief in my victory chances. Maintaining that belief is an integral part of the battle. The sequence of outcomes can differ each year. Perhaps next year will bring a different story. One day, I will undoubtedly secure the top spot. Today, it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Final stretch
Approaching the final stretch, Hodgkinson positioned herself in third place. With her two contenders fiercely competing in lanes two and three, there seemed a possibility for her to seize the inside lane advantage. Although Hodgkinson managed to overtake Mu, the finish line appeared sooner than anticipated.
“Another podium finish, another medal – undeniably a positive outcome,” said Hodgkinson, who completed the race in 1 minute 56.34 seconds, with Mu securing third place in 1 minute 56.61 seconds. “I truly believed I would make a move on the inside track. Regrettably, the finish line arrived quicker than my expectations. Nevertheless, I gave it my all. I can’t identify any major missteps on my part.”
Another British contender in the race, Jemma Reekie, held third place with 200 meters remaining but struggled to maintain her position, ultimately finishing in fifth place. “I take pride in my performance out there,” Reekie reflected. “I exhibited courage.”
In the women’s 4x400m relay event, Britain experienced further medal euphoria. However, the team’s swiftest runner, Victoria Ohuruogu, found herself excluded due to ongoing investigations surrounding her alleged training involvement with her boyfriend, Antonio Infantino, who is currently banned.