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Rin Kubo

On Monday, July 15 at the Long Distance Time Trials meet in Nara, Japan a 16-year-old student-athlete clocked a new national record time of 1:59.93 in the 800-metre event. The race took place at the Higashiosaka University Keiai High School. Rin Kubo is also the first Japanese athlete to break two minutes.

Miho Sugimori held the previous record of 2:00.45, which she set on June 5, 2005.

Monday’s result was a staccato jump forward from her previous personal best of 2:03.13, which was the Japanese national U18 record.

Although a terrific race for the teenager, the performance was just off the Olympic standard of 1:59.30 and a little past the deadline. She appears to have a strong future in the sport.

London Diamond League

Athletics fans will not see a showdown between the two favourites to win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Saturday at the London Diamond League meet. While Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson is racing, Kenyan Mary Moraa is not. Only Moraa and American Athing Mu have bested Hodgkinson in a global or area championships.

The London race features a selection of women who want to be sharp for the Olympics, the athletics portion of the Games begins August 1, while the Olympic opening ceremony happens July 26.

London preview

Australia’s Catriona Bisset will want to go better than her current seasonal best of 1:58.44. She has run as fast as 1:57.78 in July last year. The 30-year-old clocked her 1:58.44 three weeks ago during the Eugene Diamond League meet. Both performances were achieved at Hayward Field. To be in contention for a medal, she will want to set a new personal best faster than 1:57.00.

Natoya Goule-Toppin of Jamaica has run 1:55.96, which she accomplished at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. She finished fifth. The 33-year-old has a season-best time of 1:59.06. That is not going to do it in Paris. London will be her chance to sharpen up. Look for her to race hard during the first 600m, then hang on around the finish straight with whatever fitness she has. Natoya-Goule has raced four times so far this season, all in the 1:59 range.

Great Briton, Jemma Reekie is racing London, why not, it is close to home and she gets to benefit from the fast field. Reekie should finish a strong second behind Hodgkinson. The 26-year-old has a PB of 1:56.90 and a season-best from the Eugene meet of 1:57.45. She seems to be rounding into form.

Fellow Brit, Laura Muir is in the race. While the 800m is not her focus, she is fast with a 1:56.73 PB. This race will be an under-distance event for her bid to win a medal in the 1500m race in Paris. Muir has an Olympic silver medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that took place in 2021. The 31-year-old also earned a bronze medal at the 2022 Eugene World Athletics Championships. Muir holds the current national record in the 1500m at 3:53.79 and she also holds the national best in the 1000m with her 2:31.93, which is also the European record.

Also in the race are British athlete Georgia Bell (1:59.93 SB, PB), Elena Bellò of Italy (1:59.83 SB, 1:58.97 PB), Rénelle Lamote (2:00.76 SB, 1:57.84 PB), Halimah Nakaayi (1:57.56 SB, PB) of Uganda, Erin Wallace (1:59.19 SB, PB) of GB, and American Allie Wilson (1:58.32 SB, 1:58.09 PB).

Keely Hodgkinson

Keely Hodgkinson at age 22 is already an Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo, two-time world championships silver medallist from Eugene and Budapest. She also owns two European Championships gold medals. Hodgkinson won in the Diamond League finale in 2021 and has won seven Diamond League races — all in the 800m. She has a Commonwealth Games silver from Birmingham 2022.

Mary Moraa from Kenya has beaten Hodgkinson once. Athing Mu has bettered Hodgkinson at least twice, however, is out of the Olympic Games. She tripped and fell at the US Olympic Trials and was unable to catch the field. She finished in tears in dead last place.

Although Hodgkinson would surely prefer to see Mu race in Paris, so she could have an opportunity to beat her, Mu’s absence from Paris clears the way for a two-woman show in the final. Hodgkinson owns a best of 1:55.19 and a seasonal best of 1:55.78 — she has rounded into form nicely.

Dark horse

If there is any athlete who may surprise in London it is Nakaayi of Uganda. She is the 2019 world champion and at age 29 is not even close to being done or slowing down necessarily. In May 2024 at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, Nakaayi ran a new personal best and national record time of 1:57.56. She likes London’s Olympic Stadium as last year in the London Diamond League she clocked her second-best 800m (PB at the time) of 1:57.62.