Keely Hodgkinson who is currently the favourite to win gold at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games in the 800 metre event has chosen to run the 400m at the UK national championships this weekend.

For several years, Hodgkinson has wanted to improve her 400m best. While she has been a medallist in all continental and global championships since the Tokyo Olympics in the two-lap race, her contemporaries have held better 400m times. She believes being faster at the 400m will assist her over the 800m.

Hodksinson is already on the British Olympic team in the 800m.

She told the Standards, “I want to attack every race. I want to be as consistent as possible. I’ll keep setting myself little targets in training, in championships all the time to see how much I can push myself.”

The 22-year-old owns a one-lap best of 51.61. She set that time in Italy in May. Her 800m best is a national record at 1:55.19. In Comparison, American Athing Mu has clocked 49.57 and 1:54.97. Kenyan and world-ranked number one, Mary Moraa, has run 50.38 and 1:56.03. All three have won gold against the others. Mu is out of the Olympics as she tripped and fell at the USATF Olympic Trials, and in the process strained her hamstring. Natoya Goule-Toppin who is ranked fourth in the world in the 800m (Hodgkinson is second), has run marginally faster in the long sprint at 51.52. The Jamaican’s PB over the 800m is 1:55.96. At age 33, Paris is likely her final Olympic Games.

Expect, the 22-year-old Hodgkinson to run a new PB in Manchester this weekend.

Also, keep an eye on world third-ranked Jemma Reekie and how she will fair against 17-year-old Phoebe Gill, who has run 1:57.86. often teenagers have staccato jumps in performance.