British middle-distance runner is a heavy odds-on favourite to win the women’s 800m title in Toruń on Sunday.
Keely Hodgkinson is on course to win her first world indoor title in Toruń on Sunday evening after breezing through her 800m semi-final on Saturday morning (March 21).
Controlling the pace as she passed 400m in 57.55 and 600m in 88.22, the British runner only had American Addison Wiley for company as she eased clear on the final lap to win in 1:58.53 with Wiley taking the second automatic qualification place from the heat with 1:58.75.
Hodgkinson is a 1/12 odds on favourite with one betting firm going into Sunday’s final with Audrey Werro second favourite at 15/2.
Can anyone stop the seemingly unstoppable 24-year-old Brit?
Winners of the other heats were Audrey Werro of Switzerland with 1:59.27 ahead of Ethiopian Nigist Getachew’s 1:59.46, while Hayley Kitching of Australia won her heat in 2:00.06, the latter conjuring up memories of fellow Aussie Tamsyn Manou winning a surprise world indoor 800m gold in 2008.
There will only be one Brit in the final, too, as Issy Boffey was fourth in Kitching’s heat in 2:01.12.
“The race was fine,” said Hodgkinson. “I just did what my coach said – to be faster in the first 400m and then finish around 1:58.
“I am looking for my bed now. It is rough to run in the mornings. We will see how fast I can run tomorrow.”
Werro said: “The plan for the final is to have fun out there. Yes, I have medals at the back of my head but, when you focus on having fun, things work out better.
“When I saw Keely broke 1:55 this winter, I was excited, it means our event is developing. I do not think she is unbeatable, everyone can be beaten.”
Boffey said: “That was a race I could have made the final in. From what it looked like to us, that was a heat I was capable of making the top two in, but I didn’t. Ultimately, my body is tired. I have had an incredible season indoors so far, but again, I am running these times I have never run before. I can definitely feel it. Which is a shame, but a learning curve.”
In the men’s 800m there was disappointment for British and Irish runners Ben Pattison and Mark English as they finished fifth and fourth respectively in a first heat won by Peter Bol of Australia in 1:46.21.
Pattison was controlling the race nicely from the front but English came bustling past him with a lap to go, only for the Irishman to fade down the back straight.
“Very frustrating,” said Pattison. “I executed my plan pretty well but got pushed out of my lead position. I tried to hold him off and I think I need to hit the gym! I had lots of running left in my legs and then I got into fifth place with nowhere to run. I have to learn from this though and it’s my mistake at the end of the day.”
Cooper Lutkenhaus, just 17 from the United States, continues to impress as the teenager won his heat seemingly with ease in 1:44.29 ahead of fast-finishing Mohamed Attaoui’s Spanish record of 1:44.48. Buoyed by the home support, Poland’s Maciej Wyderka led through 400m in 50.19 but won’t make the final after fading to third in 1:44.59.
Lutkenhaus will face, among others, Eliott Crestan in Sunday’s final as the in-form Belgian ran 1:45.71 to win his heat.
Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia and Brianna Lyston of Jamaica led the women’s 60m qualifiers on Saturday morning with 7.06 while Italian Zaynab Dosso, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Jacious Sears of the United States all clocked 7.07 in their heats.
Britain’s Amy Hunt also qualified with 7.15 behind host nation’s Ewa Swoboda’s 7.08 in the final heat.
Kelly Doualla, the Italian prodigy who doesn’t turn 17 until November, also qualified for Saturday night’s semi-finals with 7.27 in Alfred’s heat.
Trey Cunningham led the qualifiers in the men’s 60m hurdles heats with 7.45 as the big host nation hope Jakub Szymański also eased through in 7.50.