Keely Hodgkinson Returns to 800m at Stockholm Diamond League with World Record Ambitions

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will compete in the 800m at Stockholm's Diamond League meeting on June 7, marking her first outdoor appearance at the distance this season. The British runner faces Diamond League champion Audrey Werro, who recently clocked an outdoor world-leading 1:56.56 in Rabat, as she continues building toward major summer championships and her pursuit of multiple elite time barriers.

Stockholm Diamond League Details

The Stockholm meeting takes place on Sunday, June 7 at the Olympic Stadium and will be broadcast live on BBC Two from 4pm BST, with streaming available via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. The fixture represents the fifth meeting of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season and follows a Diamond League event held in Rome earlier in the week.

Hodgkinson's 800m contest brings together a high-caliber field. Beyond Werro, she will face 2025 world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso, world finalist Sage Hurta-Klecker, and European bronze medallist Anaïs Bourgoin. This competitive lineup reflects the strength of women's middle-distance running heading into the Commonwealth Games and European Championships later in the summer.

Hodgkinson's Season and Ambitions

The reigning Olympic champion recently experimented with the 400m, achieving a personal best in that distance as part of a strategic approach to strengthen her overall speed and explosiveness. However, the 800m remains her primary event, where she holds the world indoor record and continues to target breaking three elite time barriers this summer. Her appearance in Stockholm signals her readiness to challenge for victory against some of the sport's best middle-distance runners.

The Stockholm card also features other British athletes competing at a high level. Jake Wightman and Ben Pattison line up in the men's 800m alongside Olympic and world medalist Marco Arop and American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus. Additional British competitors include Jeremiah Azu in the 200m and Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt in the 100m, competing against world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the USA.