{"id":256923,"date":"2026-08-09T19:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T19:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/09\/keely-hodgkinson-relishing-prospect-of-winning-european-gold-on-home-turf\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T19:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T19:00:23","slug":"keely-hodgkinson-relishing-prospect-of-winning-european-gold-on-home-turf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/09\/keely-hodgkinson-relishing-prospect-of-winning-european-gold-on-home-turf\/","title":{"rendered":"Keely Hodgkinson relishing prospect of winning European gold on home turf"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Keely Hodgkinson says winning a European gold medal in front of her home fans in Birmingham this week will be nearly as special as her Olympic title in Paris.<\/p>\n

Hodgkinson is the headline act as the European Athletics<\/a> Champion\u00adships come to Britain for the first time in its 92-year history, but she insists the intense spotlight on her only increases her determination to win 800m gold.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t really see it as pressure,\u201d the 24-year-old said. \u201cI just see it as more of a motivation. There\u2019s going to be a\u00a0lot of my family there to support me,\u00a0and hopefully I\u2019ll be able to stand on top of the podium and have a national anthem in the UK. That would be incredibly special. It would mean as much to me, almost, as winning in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of Hodgkinson\u2019s \u00adexcitement comes from knowing that the world\u2019s four \u00adfastest women in 2026 will all be competing \u00adincluding the Swiss star Audrey Werro, who shocked her in June by running 1min\u00a053.98sec, \u00admaking her the third fastest woman in the race\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Hodgkinson, though, believes she is still the best in the world over two laps, and intends to prove it against a field that includes the \u00adformer 400m hurdle world \u00adchampion Femke \u00adBroeders\u2011Bol, who has run 1:55 this year.<\/p>\n

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\nQuick Guide<\/span><\/p>\n

European Athletics Championship: day-by-day guide<\/h4>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Show<\/span><\/span><\/summary>\n

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Monday 10 August<\/b><\/p>\n

Amy Hunt is a warm favourite for the women\u2019s 100m (9.50pm), but no British athlete has won more European golds than DIna Asher-Smith, the defending champion. Elsewhere, Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen returns from an Achilles injury in the men\u2019s 5,000m (8.40pm) and there\u2019s also an intriguing 4x400m mixed relay final (9.40pm).<\/p>\n

Tuesday 11 August<\/b><\/p>\n

Keely Hodgkinson begins the defence of her women\u2019s 800m title (12.05pm). The big event of the night is the men\u2019s 100m, where Italian Marcel Jacobs is the favourite to defend his crown (9.45pm), with Britain\u2019s Romell Glave his closest challenger. The women\u2019s 110m hurdles (9.30pm) should also be a cracker.<\/p>\n

Wednesday 12 August<\/b><\/p>\n

Local lad Matt Hudson-Smith is expected to win the men\u2019s 400m gold for a third time (8.50pm), while Emily Newnham should medal in the women\u2019s 400m hurdles (9.08pm), although Slovakia\u2019s Emma Zapletalova is the wide-margin favourite.<\/p>\n

Thursday, 13 August<\/b><\/p>\n

Hodgkinson goes\u00a0 in the women\u2019s 800m semi-finals (12:10pm). A stacked evening card includes a men\u2019s 800m final (9.28pm) where Max Burgin and Ben Pattison should feature and the women\u2019s 200m where Hunt (9.50pm) will be favourite. In the women\u2019s steeplechase (8.30pm), Britain\u2019s Elise Thorner should cap a breakout season with gold.<\/p>\n

Friday 14 August<\/b><\/p>\n

All eyes will be on the women\u2019s 800m final (9.45pm), which could be the race of the year. In June Swiss star Audrey Werro ran the third fastest time in history to beat Hodgkinson in Stockholm. Can the Brit get her revenge? Former 400m hurdles world champion Femke Broeders-Bol is a live threat too. Elsewhere Karsten Warholm should win another men\u2019s 400m hurdles (8.40pm).<\/p>\n

Saturday, 15 August\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Nafi Thiam\u2019s withdrawal with injury means there will be a new heptathlon champion for the first time since 2016 and Katarina Johnson-Thompson will hope to take advantage (7.45pm). Britain also have medal chances in the men\u2019s and women’s 4x100m relay (9.33 and 9.48pm), a strong men\u2019s 1500m featuring Jake Wightman (9.07pm) and the women\u2019s 400m (8.10pm) where Amber Anning should medal.<\/p>\n

Sunday, 16 August<\/b><\/p>\n

Britain will expect a bumper day with Georgia Hunter Bell favourite in the women\u2019s 1500m (9.13pm), along with strong medal chances in the women’s and men\u2019s 4x400m relay (9.33pm and 9.48pm) and the mixed 4x100m relay (8.35pm). Early birds can catch the women\u2019s and men\u2019s marathon (7:30am and 8:10am), while Mondo Duplantis will hope to get his season back on track with gold in the men\u2019s pole vault (7.30pm)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n