After months on the sidelines, Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson is poised to make her highly anticipated return to competitive action at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on 20 August.
The 23-year-old British middle-distance star last raced in August 2024, when she stormed to gold in Paris, cementing her status as one of the sport’s brightest talents. However, a hamstring injury sustained in February forced her out of action, disrupting her preparations for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Despite an initial plan to return earlier in the season, Hodgkinson had to withdraw from scheduled appearances in Stockholm and London due to a minor setback in recovery. Now, with just one month remaining before the World Championships in Tokyo, the British record holder is determined to regain peak form.
“Third time’s a charm!” Hodgkinson posted on Instagram story.
Her return adds further intrigue to the women’s 800m lineup in Switzerland, where she will face off against fellow Britons Jemma Reekie and Georgia Hunter Bell, the latter recently claimed victory in London in Hodgkinson’s absence.
Lausanne marks the 13th of 15 meets in the Wanda Diamond League calendar and is the last major scoring opportunity for many athletes aiming to qualify for the prestigious Final in Zurich on 27–28 August.
The Diamond League, regarded as the pinnacle of single-day athletics meetings globally, provides a crucial stage for Hodgkinson to fine-tune her race fitness before attempting to upgrade her back-to-back World Championship silver medals from 2022 and 2023 to gold in Tokyo.
As the countdown to the Worlds begins, all eyes will be on Lausanne to see if Hodgkinson’s comeback lives up to the hype—and sets the tone for another thrilling chapter in her already remarkable career.