By Chris Chavez
December 18, 2024
Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson will attempt to break the women’s world indoor 800m record of 1:55.82, set by Slovenia’s Jolanda Čeplak in 2002, at a new event named in her honor: the Keely Klassic.The meet is set for February 15, 2025 at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Here’s what you need to know:
– The announcement comes just one day after Hodgkinson won the BBC Sports Personality of The Year award. She will be the star of the meet, which is expected to include other top British and European track and field athletes. Live entertainment will also be an added component of the World Athletics bronze-level meet.
– Čeplak’s record, which was set on Hodgkinson’s birthday has stood since March 3, 2002. Hodgkinson’s 800m personal bests are 1:54.61 outdoors and 1:57.18 indoors.
– Hodgkinson did not run indoors in 2024. In 2023, she went undefeated in her seven indoor races, which included a gold at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
– She is coming off a 2024 season in which she went undefeated, won the Olympic 800m gold medal, moved to No. 6 on the all-time women’s 800m list (which also improved upon her own British record) and won a European gold medal.
– The meet will be televised in the UK by the BBC. No streaming or broadcast plan for fans in America has been shared yet.
What She Had To Say
– Hodgkinson: "We want to make this event an experience like no other – for athletes and fans alike. We’re creating an atmosphere that fuses the intensity of world-class sport with the energy and excitement of live entertainment. I can’t wait to be part of this new chapter, and I’m excited for fans to witness history in the making."
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
