Keely Hodgkinson forced to pull out of ‘race for the ages’ with injury in major blow

KEELY HODGINSKON has been forced to pull out of the ‘race for the ages’ in a major blow. The Olympic champion, 24, was due to line up in the 800m at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich on Thursday. Keely Hodgkinson is out of Thursday’s Weltklasse meeting in Zurich Credit: AP It was due to be a blockbuster line-up for the 800m featuring Euros podium stars Hodgkinson, Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol Credit: Getty However, she withdrew from the event with injury. As reported by The Times, Hodgkinson is struggling with a hamstring strain. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! She suffered the recurrence of the persistent injury during the warm-up for the European Athletics 800m final earlier in August. And it means she is not going to risk it at the invitation-only athletics event in Switzerland this week. 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. “Sad to miss it, hopefully see you next year.” That will come as a huge downer for Weltklasse organisers because Hodgkinson was leading an all-timer A-list line-up. Most read in Athletics BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Hodgkinson swapped the spikes for heels as a bridesmaid at the weekend Credit: Instagram As well as the reigning Olympic champion from Paris 2024, Hodgkinson was set to race against Audrey Werro. Werro controversially stunned the Brit in that Euro final in Birmingham and earlier this summer ran a 1:53.80 – the third-fastest 800m time ever. Elsewhere, Lilian Odira, Femke Broeders-Bol and Georgia Hunter Bell are expected to take part in the two-lap dash. Brit Hunter Bell won the 1,500m at the European Championships after her indoor worlds victory – plus claimed the 800m Commonwealth title – and will be hopeful of upsetting Werro this week. As for Hodgkinson, who enjoyed a weekend away from the track by serving as her best friend’s bridesmaid, she hopes to be back on the track for the Diamond League final in Brussels next week. Following that, it is the new Ultimate Championship in Budapest. Comment now