Keely Hodgkinson has insisted she has no regrets over skipping the Commonwealth Games despite being denied European 800m gold in Birmingham.
The Olympic champion chose to sit out the Commonwealth Games and prioritise her bid for a third successive European crown after enduring a challenging build-up to the championships.
Hodgkinson instead watched from afar as training partner Georgia Hunter Bell claimed Commonwealth gold over two laps.
But while her decision did not ultimately result in another European title, the 24-year-old remains adamant she made the right call.
Hodgkinson was forced to settle for silver at the Alexander Stadium on Friday night after Audrey Werro produced a stunning performance to take gold.
The Swiss star clocked a championship record of 1:54.81, eclipsing a mark that had stood since 1982.
Hodgkinson finished just two-tenths of a second behind, with Femke Broeders-Bol taking bronze after another impressive display in a high-quality final.
The Briton had previously won European gold in both 2022 and 2024 but refused to dwell on the disappointment of missing out on a hat-trick.
Keely Hodgkinson has insisted she has no regrets over skipping the Commonwealth Games despite being denied European 800m gold in Birmingham
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REUTERS
“When you feel like you’ve not put a foot wrong and it was a great race, and really close, I can’t really be too disappointed,” Hodgkinson said.
“I do think overall [I’m] probably a bit better than that timewise, Audrey would probably say the same thing, but that’s just how the race went.
“We were both really strong, I fought until the end, I thought I was going to have it in the last 50 but ultimately she just had more.”
Hodgkinson’s route to Birmingham had been complicated by a freak training accident that left “chunks” missing from her knees.
Keely Hodgkinson insists she’s in the ‘shape of her life’ following her silver in Birmingham
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REUTERS
She recovered in time to triumph at the London Diamond League before deciding against competing at the Commonwealth Games.
And despite ultimately leaving Birmingham without the gold medal she craved, Hodgkinson believes she is currently in the finest physical condition of her career.
“I’m in the shape of my life,” she said.
“That’s why I feel I was a bit better than that, I’m a bit disappointed it didn’t come out. There’s not really much I can do.
“I think overall I have had a really good season. I have been met with a few challenges along the way but that’s life, it doesn’t always go the way you envisioned.
“It’s how you bounce back from that, blocking out the noise and controlling what you can control. I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself this year with how to manage that.
“Ultimately, it’s another championship done, another medal added to the collection, and I have to be happy with that. I’m not satisfied but we’ll get there.”
Werro’s victory further underlined the extraordinary strength of the women’s 800m ahead of the road to the Los Angeles Olympics.
Keely Hodgkinson will have to lick her wounds and go again after her heartbreak at the European Athletics Championship | PA
She had already beaten Hodgkinson at the Stockholm Diamond League in June, clocking the third-fastest time in history.
Hodgkinson believes the fierce competition can ultimately drive standards even higher, with Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing 1:53.28 world record potentially coming under threat.
“It’s really great and it’s going to push on even more,” she said.
“It’s really motivating to be in such a competitive event, I love it.”
