Keely Hodgkinson in tears as she withdraws from Sunday’s final minutes before it was due to start - David Davies/PA Wire

Keely Hodgkinson tearfully pulled out of the 400 metres at the UK Athletics Championships on Sunday but is adamant that it was precautionary ahead of two home major championships and a world record tilt this summer.

Hodgkinson, who won gold in the 800m at the Paris Olympics in 2024, had run in the heats at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Saturday but withdrew from the final minutes before it was due to get under way on Sunday afternoon. She was visibly upset on the side of the track before being led into the bowels of the stadium.

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Sources inside the 24-year-old’s camp insisted Hodgkinson was not injured but felt tightness and withdrew from the race as a precaution.

Hodgkinson stepped out of her lane just before the athletes were put under starters’ orders - Sam Mellish/Getty Images

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.”

She later added on Instagram: “Leaving champs healthy. Sometimes the hard decision is saying no, body wasn’t feeling 100, exciting summer ahead, love xx.”

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Despite her statements, there will still be concerns over her fitness as she prepares to try and break the long-standing 800m world record and win medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and European Championships in Birmingham.

Hodgkinson’s involvement in the 400m was to help improve her speed but two such fast races in two days carry an obvious risk, with the 24-year-old enduring previous problems with hamstring and back injuries.

Hodgkinson finished second in her heat on Saturday with a time of 51.62sec - David Davies/PA

She was forced out of a world indoor record attempt in Birmingham in February 2025 after breaking down in her final training session. That became the prelude to what she described as a “s---show” summer with further injuries.

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Her coaching team, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, brought in additional precautions this winter, with a dedicated trackside physio able to give treatment and make checks before, during and after training.

Hodgkinson has also increased her strength and traded many of her easy running sessions for road cycling with team-mate Georgia Hunter-Bell. It all seemed to be paying off in February and March when she broke the world indoor record by more than a second and won the world title in a championship record time. She also broke her own outdoor personal best earlier this month in Stockholm, running the sixth fastest time in history to finish in 1min 54.33sec.

Remarkably, she was still beaten by Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, with both women now targeting Jarmila Kratochvilova’s outdoor record of 1-53.28, which has stood for 43 years. It is the longest standing record in athletics and there is a hope that it could fall at July’s Diamond League meet in London. Hunter-Bell is also set to race Hodgkinson in London and looks capable of going close to the record herself. She solo-ran the British Championships on Sunday but still finished in 1-55.93 to break a championship record set by Kelly Holmes in 1995.

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Georgia Hunter-Bell broke Kelly Holmes’ 31-year-old championship record by more than a second - Sam Mellish/Getty Images

Zharnel Hughes also ran a championship record in the 200m, winning in 20.04sec while Jake Wightman beat Ben Pattison to the 800m title. In Hodgkinson’s absence, the 400m was won by Amber Anning, who set another championship record in 50.16.

Hunter-Bell, who is Hodgkinson’s training partner, said that her friend has been in outstanding form. “I’ve only just found out,” said Hunter Bell, when asked about Hodgkinson’s injury. “We were warming up together and she was looking amazing. She knows she’s in really good shape.”

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Of her own outstanding form, Hunter-Bell said: “I have just realised over the last few years that there’s no point putting limits on anything.

“Because it’s changing all the time, and trackflation is real. Everything is just getting faster and faster. I think I really do go into races, and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”