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Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson seeks four world titles in 2022, according to the BBC’s article (World Athletics Indoor Championships: Keely Hodgkinson chasing success in Belgrade published March 17.

The 20-year-old dropped jaws when at age 19 she earned Olympic silver in the 800m behind only Athing Mu of the USA. Mu was also 19 at the time. Interestingly the two athletes also share that they both ran negative splits in the event, a rarity in the two-lap race.

“I am sure she will want to beat me and I would like to beat her, so it is a healthy competition,” said Keely, during an Athletics Illustrated interview. “She’s a good person and I look forward to racing her indoors.”

Mu is out and therefore Hodgkinson is considered the frontrunner in Belgrade. She will be up against a deep field that includes American Ajee Wilson who is competing in her fourth World Indoors. Hodgkinson owns an outdoors best of 1:55.82 which she set in Tokyo. In Birmingham on Feb. 19, she broke the national indoor record with a 1:57.20 performance.

Asked about world records she said, “That would be nice if they come but I would prefer gold medals over world records.”

Regardless, the performance is the 10th fastest in history. The world indoor record is 1:55.82, which is exactly how fast her British outdoors record is.

In addition to the World Indoors happening in Belgrade this weekend, she wants to win gold at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, OR, and the European Championships in Munich.

She told the BBC,

“It’s a new challenge,” she said.

“It is definitely physically possible to do all four, mentally we will see. In championship competitions there is so much adrenaline and so much emotion, it’s quite tiring.

Watch: Video interview with Keely Hodgkinson>>

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