Keely Hodgkinson storms to 800m title as GB strike triple gold at World Indoors
Georgia Hunter Bell and Molly Caudery also triumphed in a glorious half-an-hour in Torun.
Keely Hodgkinson chose “domination” as her word for 2026 and backed it up with a maiden world title as she stormed to 800m gold in a championship record time on a glittering evening for Great Britain at the World Indoor Championships in Poland.
It capped off an astonishing half-an-hour for Britain in Torun, where Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter Bell secured her own first global gold in the 1500m, moments before Molly Caudery reclaimed the pole vault title she won two years ago in Glasgow.
Hodgkinson, who set a new world indoor 800m record last month, took gold in one minute 55.30 seconds and then returned to the track to run the anchor leg in the women’s 4x400m relay final – part of an experimental quartet which also featured surprise addition Dina Asher-Smith.
“I think my word this year has been domination,” Hodgkinson, who led the 800m final from the start, told the BBC after the fifth-place relay finish.
“I think when I’m in the shape of my life, why leave it to chance, you know? If you’re going to beat me, I’ll make you work hard for it.”
Hodgkinson beat Swiss silver medallist Audrey Werro in the 800m final by 1.34secs, while American Addison Wiley rounded out the podium.
It was a full-circle moment for the 24-year-old, who claimed her first senior title at the same venue at the 2021 European indoors and has bounced back from an injury-plagued 2025 to start off her season with a bang.
Hodgkinson conceded it had been a “busy night” individually, after fulfilling a long-held dream of joining the relay. Her 50.1s split was, incredibly, the fastest leg in a final that started less than an hour after she crossed the line in the 800m.
It also prevented her from seeing Hunter Bell capture her first world title, on a night Hodgkinson felt the British women “absolutely smashed it”.
Hunter Bell, the world 800m silver and Olympic 1500m bronze medallist, was in fine tactical form, leading the pack that reeled in Ethiopian Birke Haylom before crossing the line in 3:58.53.
It was another remarkable achievement the 32-year-old Hunter Bell can add to a CV which as recently as 2024 would have listed a very different current employer.
The once prodigious junior athlete returned to running during the Covid-19 pandemic, eventually reuniting with former coach Trevor Painter.
“This time two years ago I was working in tax sales and now I’m the world champion,” she told the BBC.
“I’m so happy. I hope people can take something away from that. I came back as an adult. Nothing is set in stone and you can really go for anything.”
Caudery was the only woman to clear 4.85m in the pole vault, breaking what had felt like a curse after a shock qualifying exit at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and an ankle injury in the warm-up at last year’s World Championships.
She said: “Six weeks ago, I couldn’t get off the ground and I was in a dark place. Today to come here and do this means more than anyone knows, after Paris and after Tokyo and after last year it’s just a relief.
“It felt so good, I haven’t enjoyed jumping so much in such a long time.”
