Hodgkinson pulls out of Zurich Diamond League as body struggles to recover

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson has withdrawn from the women’s 800 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, with the British athlete stating that her body is not yet ready to compete following a demanding summer schedule. The decision removes a highly anticipated head-to-head against Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who defeated Hodgkinson to win gold at the European Championships in Birmingham earlier this month.

In a statement, Hodgkinson said, “Unfortunately the body isn’t quite ready to race again after the European Championships. We’ve made the decision to skip this race and get ready for the next one.” The withdrawal comes after Hodgkinson skipped the Lausanne Diamond League the previous week, a period during which she had been managing recovery from hamstring and knee injuries that have plagued her in recent years.

The Zurich meet, which serves as the penultimate event of the Diamond League season, will still feature a competitive field. World 400m hurdles champion Femke Broeders-Bol, who has stepped up to the 800 metres this season, is confirmed to race, as is Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell, the Commonwealth Games 800m gold medallist.

However, the event has also lost another major contender. World 800m champion Lilian Odira of Kenya has pulled out of the race due to illness and weakness experienced since the Commonwealth Games. Odira had previously defeated both Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell to secure gold in Tokyo last year.

Diamond League organisers expressed their respect for Hodgkinson’s decision, noting they had been looking forward to the “highly anticipated race” against Werro. They stated they hope to see the Olympic champion back in Zurich in the future. The final Diamond League event of the season is scheduled for 4 and 5 September in Brussels.

Hodgkinson’s absence marks a pause in a season where she previously won the 800m at the London Diamond League in July. At the time, she described herself as feeling “definitely a lot better than I was,” a sentiment that appears to have been complicated by the physical demands of the European Championships.