World Athletics Championships: Keely Hodgkinson Wins 800m Silver Medal for Great Britiain | Athletics News

Keely Hodgkinson produced a best time of the season of 1:56.38 but finished just +0.08 behind American winner Athing Mu; Mary Moraa from Kenya won bronze on the last day of the Championships in Oregon

Keely Hodgkinson had the best time of the season in the 800m final on the final day of the Championship

Keely Hodgkinson won a silver medal in the 800m for Great Britain on the final day of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

Hodgkinson, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, had a best time of the season of 1:56.38 in the final and was just eight percent behind winner Athing Mu.

Hodgkinson headed straight into the finish house of Mu, after the Olympic champion had her move about 200m to go. Although Mu left a void on the inside, the American used his long stride to keep Brit at bay.

Hodgkinson’s silver added to the huge success of British middle-distance runners at the World Athletics Championships, following Jake Wightman’s gold in the 1500m and Laura’s bronze. Muir at the same distance.

Mu and Hodgkinson on the rope at the end of the 800m . final

Hodgkinson and Mu are no strangers to the final big showdowns after doing so in Tokyo. Taking that opportunity, Mu finished +0.67 before the 20-year-old British player and was eliminated again, Hodgkinson determined to turn the tide on the next occasion.

“I gave him everything,” Hodgkinson said beside him BBC. “So that’s the end. I’m a lot closer than I was last year so I’m grateful to be on the world podium and in a world final healthy and able to fight hard. But, I’m a bit gutted.

“To say I feel gutted winning the medal shows how far I’ve come but I have more work to do. There’s a World Champs next year, so I can’t stay too long.

I am satisfied but not too excited. I am a bit disappointed that I missed 0.08 gold, this is a very small profit that I worked so hard to close but I will have the positives.

Keely Hodgkinson

“It definitely adds fuel to the fire,” the 20-year-old continued. “I’m leaving now and we still have more championships so I have to focus on that. I’ll be celebrating too, and will continue to play more.”

The women’s 4 x 400m relay team of Victoria Ohuruogu, Nicole Yeargin, Jessie Knight and Laviai Nielsen finished the Championship by winning bronze.

The quartet’s medals ensure Great Britain matches their overall medal tally of seven from Beijing in 2015 and Moscow in 2013.

Cindy Sember finished 5th in the women’s 100m hurdles, with Jazmin Sawyers and Lorraine Ugen finishing 9th and 10th respectively in the women’s long jump. Marc Scott finished 14th in his first world championship final over 5000m.

Great Britain – World Athletics Championship Medal

Gold: Jake Wightman – 1500m

Silver: Keely Hodgkinson – 800m

Bronze: Laura Muir – 1500m

Bronze: Dina Asher-Smith – 200m

Bronze: Matt Hudson-Smith – 400m

Bronze: Men – 4x100m . Relay

Bronze: Women – Relay 4x400m

The World Athletics Championships mark the start of a busy year of competition, including the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships.

The track action at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham begins on the marathon track on Saturday, July 30. Then the track action begins on Tuesday, August 2.

The first round of the women’s 800m was one of the events on that first day, alongside the men’s 100m and the start of the triathlon.