Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson out 6 weeks with hamstring tear

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BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will be sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring tear that ended her hopes of breaking the women's indoor 800 meter world record at an event Saturday.

The 22-year-old British runner revealed the extent of the injury Friday, telling Sky Sports that she has a “Grade C” tear.

“It's going to be the outdoor season now, probably, until I do race again, which is a bit of a shame,” Hodgkinson said.

Hodgkinson sustained the injury this week in a training session for Saturday's “Keely Klassic,” an event she helped create and where she hoped to break Jolanda Ceplak’s 800 meter indoor world record of 1 minute, 55.82 seconds set in 2002.

The world indoor championships will be held March 21-23 in Nanjing, China.

“Hamstrings are quite temperamental and they're not to be messed with,” she said. “I'm not going to be ready for a little while, unfortunately. Up to six weeks, it could be quicker, it could be longer, but it shouldn't affect my outdoor season.”

Hodgkinson won gold in the 800 meters at the Paris Olympics, three years after taking silver in Tokyo. She was the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2024.

The Manchester native is a two-time silver medalist in the 800 at the world outdoor championships.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports