Keely Hodgkinson was in tears after pulling out of the 400 metres final at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham but explained she made the call to avoid taking any risks.

The Olympic 800m champion, who has made no secret of her ambitions to break athletics’ longest-standing world record this summer, was out on track for her pre-race warm-up at the Alexander Stadium before walking off and was visibly emotional after stepping away from her lane.

Advertisement

Jenny Meadows, who coaches the 24-year-old alongside husband Trevor Painter, later explained it was a “precautionary measure” and Hodgkinson had received the “all clear” from her physio.

Hodgkinson said: “I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent standing on the start line, so I made the tough decision to step away and not race.

“I didn’t want to risk anything this summer.”

Meadows, replying to a concerned fan on X, said: “Thankfully it was just a precautionary measure. She’s fine now she’s seen the physio and got the all clear.”

Advertisement

Replying to another, Meadows further explained: “She’s not injured! It was a precaution as her hamstring felt tight. She did her cool down jog, saw the physio and is fine. We don’t take any risks now and neither does Keely.”

Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter Bell won the women’s 800m final in a championship-record one minute, 55.93 seconds.

She faced the press having not spoken to the Olympic champion following her withdrawal, but offered: “I’m not sure what’s up, because she was warming up really well. We were warming up together, and she was looking amazing.”

Advertisement

Hodgkinson was laid off for 376 days with injury before returning last August to set a world-leading 800m time, then claimed bronze at the 2025 world championships in Tokyo having raced just twice that season before travelling to Japan.

It was a year she later described as a “s***show”, so her reluctance to risk anything after announcing it was her goal to break the nearly 43-year-old record, set by Jarmila Kratochvilova, next month in London is understandable, particularly after Swiss rival Audrey Werro went third on the all-time list earlier this month.

Advertisement

The 400m, Hodgkinson insisted on Saturday, was “just a bit of fun”.

Amber Anning ultimately defended her 400m title on a Father’s Day rife with successes for British dads.

Olympic 400m silver-medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith was given an exemption last year so he could support his wife through the challenging birth of their now healthy daughter Eden.

The local favourite, a Wolves academy product in his youth, reclaimed his title in 44.45secs to secure his place at August’s European Championships at the same venue.

Advertisement

First-time dad Alastair Chalmers, who welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday, was the 400m hurdles champion and 200m champion Zharnel Hughes revealed his agent had texted him before Saturday’s 100m final to say “do this one for your son”.

Scotland’s Jake Wightman, the 2022 world gold and 2025 world silver 1500m medallist, was among Sunday’s other champions, winning the men’s 800m final in 1:45.40.

Success Eduan beat Amy Hunt, who defended her 100m title on Saturday, to win the women’s 200m in a personal best 22.43.