- Keely Hodgkinson , the Olympic 800m champion, withdrew from the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham moments before the race was due to begin.
- She was visibly distressed and later explained her decision by stating she was 'not feeling 100 per cent' and did not want to 'risk anything this summer'.
- Her coach, Jenny Meadows, informed the BBC that Hodgkinson felt a 'twinge' during her warm-up and opted to 'play it safe' by not competing.
- Hodgkinson has been competing in 400m races this season as a strategy to improve her first-lap speed, with the ultimate goal of breaking the 800m world record.
- She is scheduled to participate in the Prefontaine Classic on 4 July and the London Diamond League on 18 July, where she plans to target Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing 800m world record.
IN FULL
Keely Hodgkinson pulls out of 400m final at UK championships moments before race
