Zurich Diamond League 800m to proceed without Keely Hodgkinson

By Liam Tremblay — 24 August 2026 — 3 min read

Keely Hodgkinson has withdrawn from the upcoming Diamond League meeting in Zurich, where she was scheduled to compete in a women’s 800m race. This decision means a highly anticipated rematch between Hodgkinson and Switzerland’s Audrey Werro will not occur at this event. The meeting, set for Thursday, August 27, was expected to feature several prominent athletes in the 800m.

Hodgkinson, an Olympic champion, was slated to face Werro, who has maintained an unbeaten record in her outdoor season. Other notable competitors in the planned lineup included Georgia Hunter Bell, the Commonwealth Games 800m champion, reigning world champion Lilian Odira, and European bronze medallist Femke Broeders-Bol. The Zurich event was keenly awaited as it was anticipated to be the first time all five of these athletes would compete against each other this year.

Hodgkinson’s withdrawal and the field

Hodgkinson cited her body’s readiness as the reason for her withdrawal. She stated, “Unfortunately, the body isn’t quite ready to race again after the European championships, so we’ve made the decision to skip this race and get ready for the next one. Sad to miss it, hopefully see you next year!” This decision follows a period where her fitness had been a subject of discussion, particularly after a fall in July. Despite this, she had shown strong form at the European Championships, securing a silver medal behind Werro.

Audrey Werro, who is 22 years old, previously won European gold over Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol in Birmingham earlier this month. This victory prevented Hodgkinson from achieving a third consecutive European title. Werro also defeated Broeders-Bol in a race at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne last week. At that event, Werro broke Hodgkinson’s meeting record with a victory time of 1:55.33.

Broeders-Bol, who transitioned from her primary discipline of 400m hurdles this year, continued to demonstrate significant progress in the 800m. She finished closely behind Werro in Lausanne, setting a new national record of 1:55.41. Odira placed seventh in that race, while Hunter Bell did not participate in the event.

Remaining contenders and other matchups

Despite Hodgkinson’s absence, the women’s 800m field in Zurich remains competitive. Werro is considered a strong favourite, having recorded the third-fastest 800m time in history this season, and the fastest since a world record was established 43 years ago. She will once again compete against Broeders-Bol. Lilian Odira of Kenya, the reigning world champion, is also expected to participate.

Georgia Hunter Bell, Hodgkinson’s training partner, who recently secured European gold in the women’s 1,500m, is also set to line up. Australia’s Jessica Hull is listed for the 800m, having achieved multiple top-three finishes in 1,500m events across various Diamond League and championship meetings. With Hodgkinson out, Hull may have an opportunity to contend for a top position.

Beyond the 800m, the Zurich meeting will feature other intriguing matchups. In the sprints, Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred of St. Lucia will face Mellissa Jefferson-Wooden. Jefferson-Wooden ended Alfred’s unbeaten season in Silesia with a time of 10.78, surpassing Alfred’s season-best of 10.83. This will be their third sprint encounter this season, serving as a potential tiebreaker before the Diamond League final and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships.

The men’s 400m hurdles will see the world’s top four-ranked athletes compete, including Alison dos Santos of Brazil, ranked number one, and Karsten Warholm of Norway, ranked number two. Dos Santos has remained unbeaten in hurdles this season, with Warholm’s only losses coming against the Brazilian. Dos Santos has defeated Warholm four times this season, and their Zurich meeting will be another chapter in their ongoing rivalry ahead of the season finale. The Zurich meeting is the final regular event of the Diamond League season before the finals, which are scheduled for September 4 and 5 in Brussels.

Source: ca.news.yahoo.com