Spectacular effort from gun to tape. She's in the form of her life.
Amazing running form too. Everything is just right.
Werro was in a weird position. Tried to go along, but paid the price in the last lap. Staying back with the rest would have been weird too. This was a not a right race for her.
400 mh is very much a baremeter for what super spikes doing and if doping is involved.
Changed alot and don't think any bicarb involved , correct me if wrong .
or that shoes can lead to those wholesale drop in times where if look at mens 400 m just not same drop . , well so far .
Very much doping and the trend starts with the few outliers at beginning until others start to do the same ,
And then I am sure you can imagine if there is a dope causing drop in 400mh times and not so much other sprints that might have a more endurance component to it and then easily translate to longer distances too.
Recen Progression in longer distances and 400mh start at same time around 2019/20 slowly till now the many
Absolutely fantastic run from Keely! I thought it was crazy the green wavelights were set at 1:53, but it gave her a sense of the distance between her and the outdoor WR, so it was useful. She is clearly in her best form ever, and outdoors they will attempt a 1:53. She can do that, but the WR is a stretch...
Some other comments:
This was a race with international athletes, not a Keely team time trial. Werro had every right to disrupt Keely's opening 200m. But now the Swiss woman knows there's no point in their next encounter.
That third 200m was awesome from Keely. That was where she dug in, moved away from Werro, and kept on pace.
Enough with the bicarb nonsense. It has been used for decades by athletes, why do people think it's only just being used?
And Enough with the Femke comparisons, for goodness sake. She has only switched a few months ago and her team have been clear she will not be challenging for the top spot this season. Expect big improvements next year.
And let's not set anyone up for a fall, Keely included. She has had continuous niggles these last few seasons, and she is walking that tightrope between her absolute, ultimate best and injury. The sport is rarely plain sailing. Back in 21 it was assumed Mu would dominate or even break the WR. Since then Moraa has beaten everyone and disrupted races. Werro has thrown her hat into the ring. Hunter Bell defied age & beat Keely last season. Who knows what Bol can do. Lets not assume Keely is automatically number 1 for Beijing & LA. Things can happen.
Bol would have contended for second in this race. similar first lap splits.
52 opening with a 60 is world record, might as well go 51 and 61. NO
of course a 55 mid high might do it. with a 56 mid high, would be correct..
Keely only ran a very fast first 200 because she had to get in front of Werro. Not sure what Werro was thinking. She knew that Keely was in much better shape than her and that Keely was going for the world record. Werro knew she couldn't stay with Keely but she just felt like messing with Keely. That was uncalled for.
I think this is ridiculous. Werro had already run 1:57.27 and won all 3 of her races this year. Werro won the DL final in 1:55.91 and was 6th at Worlds. Werro has every right to compete with Hodgkinson even if that means trying to “spoil the party” by getting the pole position and disrupting the script.
Keely only ran a very fast first 200 because she had to get in front of Werro. Not sure what Werro was thinking. She knew that Keely was in much better shape than her and that Keely was going for the world record. Werro knew she couldn't stay with Keely but she just felt like messing with Keely. That was uncalled for.
I think this is ridiculous. Werro had already run 1:57.27 and won all 3 of her races this year. Werro won the DL final in 1:55.91 and was 6th at Worlds. Werro has every right to compete with Hodgkinson even if that means trying to “spoil the party” by getting the pole position and disrupting the script.
I fully agree with your analysis.
This whining is coming from LR incels and not from Keely. I don't recall her stating anything about Werro and her intent in the interviews.
Every athlete has the right - the obligation - to compete as best they can using legal tactics as that they see fit. Werro obviously thought either a) she could handle Keely's early pace better than she actually did and was going to hang on or b) she could surge for 200, cut in, and spoil the party by controlling from the front on the tight indoor bends. Plan a) might have worked for her to PR if Keely had not herself gone so hard in the first 250, and Plan b) was never going to work because Keely is now - by miles - superior to all other 800 runners and would have won with a 26-last 200 in a 1:57 if necessary.
This recalls the golden era of Coe at his peak and it's not nostalgia.... because it's happening NOW!
Missed the post of her 400m PR being 51. She probably has 50.X speed now.
52 is what most 1:54 800 runners hit.
Her opening in 53/54 isn't unreasonable. She seems like the type of runner who can hang closer to her 400m best like Kipketer. He opened his 800m WR in 48 only tying up on the final straight.
@armchair expert.... Since RoJo and the censors love AI so much, let's try it. Gemini here...
"Perform a historical analysis and predict for us at letsrun.com. How fast can Keely Hodgkinson run the 400 indoors on March 1st? We want a specific, evidence-supported answer."
Gemini said
"Analyzing Keely Hodgkinson’s current trajectory and historical performance data, the prediction for her 400m indoor race in Glasgow on March 1, 2026, points toward a significant breakthrough. Historical Context & Current Form Current Indoor PB: 52.42 (February 2022). Outdoor PB: 51.61 (May 2024). 2026 Season "God-Mode": On February 19, 2026, Hodgkinson shattered the 800m World Indoor Record with a time of 1:54.87 in Liévin. The Critical Split: In that record-breaking 800m, her 400m split was 56.01. In a solo 800m effort earlier in February (Birmingham), she split 56.28. Running roughly 4 seconds slower than her flat 400m PB during an 800m suggests her speed reserve has expanded dramatically. Statistical Prediction: 51.30–51.60 Based on her 800m world record splits and 2023 European U23 bronze (51.76 outdoors), she is no longer a 52.4 indoor runner. Metric Reasoning Speed Endurance Her 600m world best (1:23.41) and 800m WR (1:54.87) prove she can maintain a high percentage of maximal speed. Conversion Rate Most elite 800m specialists of her caliber (e.g., Jarmila Kratochvílová or Femke Bol in reverse) show an indoor/outdoor 400m differential of roughly 0.5–0.8 seconds. A 51.6 outdoor runner in WR-800m shape should easily translate to a sub-52 indoor performance. Race Dynamics She is scheduled to face Issy Boffey (1:57.43 800m PB in 2026). Having a high-level competitor to push the first 200m will prevent Hodgkinson from having to work solo, which she did in her 800m opener."
Well, I am onboard with Gemini in this case. All of this sounds remarkably reasonable to me.
I think outdoors opening 400m of 52/53 with 600m split 1:23/1:24 will get her 1:51/1:52 WR.
26/27/28/29 WR!
Keely isn't capable of running an opening 52 without completely falling apart. But thanks for letting us know that you're clueless about how to run an 800.
Nothing you've said hasn't left a stain on this thread.
4. Keely said she's going to run a 400 at GLA on March 1st. She doesn't need 50-point but an improvement on her PR to low-51s would be awesome.
I'd be fascinated if her 800m indoor uplift isn't matched by 400m speed. Suddenly, we'll be talking 1500m potential. But it's probably more likely she's in solid 51.2 indoor shape with a 4:02 1500m in her back pocket.
This post was edited 39 seconds after it was posted.
I still can' get over the posters here, including a prominent coach, who tried to pretend that Bol went out too fast in her 1:59.
As I posted at the time, she wasn't trying to run 1 second faster in that race. Bol needs to get acclimated to the type of early pace that is now required at elite level women's 800
Missed the post of her 400m PR being 51. She probably has 50.X speed now.
52 is what most 1:54 800 runners hit.
Her opening in 53/54 isn't unreasonable. She seems like the type of runner who can hang closer to her 400m best like Kipketer. He opened his 800m WR in 48 only tying up on the final straight.
Not everything needs to be even paced.
Kipketer has a PB of 46.85, block start, which 800m runners don't train for. To my knowledge, not even Kipketer seriously believes that an opening in 48 was ideal (because it isn't). Rudisha ran 49.28 when he set his world record. That's why he holds the world record. His personal best in the 400m (blocks) is 45.13, achieved in Nairobi in 2013. However, it is not necessarily useful to extrapolate the results from men to women.
It's proven that running too fast in the first lap has dire consequences. A highly talented athlete like KH and her coach aren't aiming for a 53/54-second lap because they know perfectly well it's a terrible Idea.
Her best shot at the outdoor WR is improving her 400, racing that. She probably has an idea of what she can handle in the 1500. Is she sub 4:00?
Develop speed/strength
Stay healthy
Good luck
PS- going out fast like another poster mentioned is to establish pole position, like Centro did in 2016. You're in front and other competition has to go around you.
Keely only ran a very fast first 200 because she had to get in front of Werro. Not sure what Werro was thinking. She knew that Keely was in much better shape than her and that Keely was going for the world record. Werro knew she couldn't stay with Keely but she just felt like messing with Keely. That was uncalled for.
I think this is ridiculous. Werro had already run 1:57.27 and won all 3 of her races this year. Werro won the DL final in 1:55.91 and was 6th at Worlds. Werro has every right to compete with Hodgkinson even if that means trying to “spoil the party” by getting the pole position and disrupting the script.
Agreed.
The idea that Audrey shouldn't run her race is idiotic.
Her PB, run last year, is 1:55. Keely's PB is 1:54.
