Photo via BBC Sport

'Built differently' - Hodgkinson reveals hamstring abnormality

Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has disclosed that medical imaging detected a rare physical variation in her hamstring, which features two separate tendons rather than a single one. The 24-year-old explained that this anatomical quirk permits her to keep running if one tendon tears, though it simultaneously raises the chance of breakdowns.

After claiming a runner-up finish behind Switzerland's Audrey Werro at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hodgkinson revealed that she suffered a hamstring rupture weeks beforehand at the European Championships in Birmingham. This latest setback followed an unusual warm-down incident where a fall alongside a canal caused knee abrasions, back trauma, and quad issues, which forced her to withdraw from Diamond League fixtures in Zurich and Brussels.

The setback adds to a turbulent sequence of seasons for Hodgkinson since her Paris 2024 gold medal. A hamstring tear in February 2025 sidelined her for over twelve months before she returned in August 2025 with consecutive Diamond League victories, subsequently establishing an indoor 800m world record in February 2026 and securing a World Indoor title the next month.

However, her outdoor campaign has yielded three losses to the 22-year-old Werro, including the surrender of her European crown. While Hodgkinson has avoided missing workouts over a three-week span by curbing her high-speed sessions, she will conclude her 2026 campaign in London at an all-female competition.