Keely Hodgkinson delivered another masterclass on the track as she stormed to victory in the 800m at the Lausanne Diamond League, breaking the long-standing meeting record in the process.
In cold and rainy conditions more typical of autumn than a Swiss summer evening, the British star clocked 1:55.69 to win by a commanding margin of 10 metres. The performance marked her second victory in five days and another strong step in her comeback season after missing over a year through injury.
Although her time was just shy of her world-leading mark set in Poland days earlier, it was still the second fastest performance of the year and a signal that she has fully re-established herself as the one to beat ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo. She erased Maria Mutola’s 2002 meeting record of 1:56.25, underscoring her dominance despite challenging conditions.
Behind her, Switzerland’s Audrey Werro delighted the home crowd by finishing second in 1:57.34, overtaking Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell in the final strides. Hunter Bell, who is weighing whether to contest the 800m or 1500m at the upcoming world championships, expressed frustration at not running faster but admitted the weather was a factor.
The race itself was set up at a blistering pace by pacemaker Eveline Saalberg, who brought the field through 400m in 56.04. Hodgkinson tracked closely and then surged into control, with South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso initially attempting to stay with her. However, the relentless tempo proved too much, and Hodgkinson pulled away decisively in the final 200m while Sekgodiso faded badly.
Elsewhere on the track, the men’s 800m produced drama as American Josh Hoey surged past a tiring Max Burgin to take victory in 1:42.82. Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi finished second while Burgin had to settle for fourth in 1:43.44.
The men’s 100m also provided a surprise as Jamaica’s Oblique Seville produced a superb run in torrential rain to beat Olympic champion Noah Lyles. Seville clocked 9.87, while Lyles finished second in 10.02, suffering his second defeat in four days after losing to Kishane Thompson in Poland.
In the women’s 200m, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita endured disappointing outings, with both fading after strong starts. The race was won by American Brittany Brown in 22.23, ahead of Nigeria’s Favour Ofili.
With her latest display, Hodgkinson has cemented her reputation as the standout athlete in the two-lap event and issued a clear warning to her rivals just weeks before the global championships.
