Keely Hodgkinson could become the first woman in history to win three European indoor 800m titles

Keely Hodgkinson is set for a big indoor season, which includes the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn from March 6-9. The Olympic 800m champion has already announced that she is targeting the long-standing 800m world indoor record of 1:55.82 min at home at her own meeting, the Keely Klassic, in Birmingham on February 15.

Keely Hodgkinson has also said on social media that she is aiming to compete not only at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, but also at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing from March 21-23.

Keely Hodgkinson, who last year climbed to sixth in the all-time world outdoor rankings with a time of 1:54.61 min, shone at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun with an 800m victory on her 19th birthday, before defending her second title years later in Istanbul.

And if Keely Hodgkinson defends her title in Apeldoorn next month, she will become the first athlete in the history of the European Athletics Indoor Championships to win three consecutive 800m titles.

Keely Hodgkinson was forced to withdraw from the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade at the last minute due to an injury to the quadruple and she missed the entire indoor season last year – including the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow – due to injury.

Keely Hodgkinson is the latest in a string of world champions to confirm their intentions to compete at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, which includes Olympic champions Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Femke Bol, Miltiadis Tentoglou, Lamont Marcell Jacobs and Markus Rooth.