{"id":204056,"date":"2025-09-21T11:26:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T11:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/21\/i-thought-i-had-it-hodgkinson-beaten-to-800m-gold-by-odira-as-hunter-bell-takes-silver\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T11:26:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T11:26:28","slug":"i-thought-i-had-it-hodgkinson-beaten-to-800m-gold-by-odira-as-hunter-bell-takes-silver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/21\/i-thought-i-had-it-hodgkinson-beaten-to-800m-gold-by-odira-as-hunter-bell-takes-silver\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I thought I had it!\u2019: Hodgkinson beaten to 800m gold by Odira as Hunter Bell takes silver"},"content":{"rendered":"

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These World Athletics Championships<\/a> witnessed another shock on Sunday as Keely Hodgkinson, Britain\u2019s Olympic 800m champion, had to settle for bronze after a thrilling three-way shootout down the final straight.<\/p>\n

In front of her \u2013 just<\/em> \u2013 was her teammate and training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell, who took silver. It was the first time since 1993, when Colin Jackson and Tony Jarrett duked it out in the 110m hurdles, that two Britons had made the podium in the same world championship race.<\/p>\n

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But neither had an answer to the unheralded Kenyan Lilian Odira, who came wide and swooped late to win in 1min 54.62 sec, a personal best by nearly two seconds. The 26-year-old Odira was ranked 17th in the world before this race. Now, incredibly, she is world champion.<\/p>\n

Hodgkinson ran hugely creditably, and her time of 1:54.91 was her third fastest ever. But she surely felt the effects of having to run three times in four days, after missing more than a year of racing because of three hamstring injuries.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Kenya\u2019s Lilian Odira poses with her gold medal after victory in the women\u2019s 800m final. <\/span> Photograph: Matthias Schr\u00e4der\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI thought I had it\u201d said Hodgkinson, who was leading as she came into the home straight. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel Odira coming. I did my best to hang on, but the legs didn\u2019t quite have it. It\u2019s been a really difficult here but I\u2019ve made the podium and that\u2019s something to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter Bell, meanwhile, was understandably delighted to take silver, in 1:54.90 – a personal best by nearly a second. The 31-year-old said: \u201cI\u2019m so happy. I\u2019m looking forward to a break.\u201d<\/p>\n

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