IAAF World Indoor Championships 2026: Kelly Hodgkinson wins 800m gold

After stunningly breaking Jolanda Cieblak’s 24-year-old women’s indoor 800m record last month, Hodgkinson’s eyes are firmly set on gold in Toruń.

This was the final international podium missing from Hodgkinson’s extensive list of honours, after various injuries had prevented her from competing in each of the past three tournaments at the World Indoor Championships.

The 24-year-old, who has 11 international medals, was also denied her three attempts at world outdoor gold, where she achieved two silver and one bronze.

Hodgkinson said she hoped to be “fourth time lucky” in 2026, but had to overcome bad luck even before her gold medal quest began, after the airline she traveled with lost her equipment.

With her belongings delayed, Hodgkinson was forced to complete her preparations at someone else’s nails, resulting in blisters.

But that didn’t affect Hodgkinson as she dominated qualifying on Friday, before clinching the title in Saturday’s semi-final in a time faster than all but one of her personal bests.

Swiss Audrey Wero was the only competitor to achieve the best indoor time, three seconds behind the world record set by Hodgkinson, and the British superiority was clear as she advanced easily inside the stadium where she won her first international medal five years ago.