Following her world indoor 800m record in February, Keely Hodgkinson ran her first indoor 400m in four years clocking an outright PB of 51.49 to take the win at the Scottish Athletics Indoor Invitational in Glasgow on Sunday (1).
Her time also ranks her 11th in Europe this year, proving that she is competitive at the elite level across both distances.
Hodgkinson won bronze at the Espoo 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in the 400m but has stayed mostly focused on the 800m since.
"It's been fun, exciting. I was excited to come and do a 400m here. I haven't been able to do a 400m for a good two years due to injuries so it was a good day to complete one - and a good time to come with it.
“I like to consider myself a more 400/800m athlete and I still work on the 400m all the time, I just don't get to race it often. To be able to fit one in was great and it's also a bit of fun, sometimes constantly doing 800’s can get a bit much," said Hodgkinson.
Looking towards the Kujawy Pomorze 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships from 20-22 March, Hodgkinson is eager to add that ever-slippery world title to her CV.
"Pressure is all in the mind I think and if anything the pressure is from myself, I've not done a world indoors yet so I'd really like a world title. It's a privilege to be in this position and hopefully I can fulfil what everybody and myself want," she said.
She also confirmed that her priority outdoors is the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August. She will not be competing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Hunter Bell goes fourth in the world
Georgia Hunter Bell was also in action and ran her second 800m since winning silver at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, clocking an incredible 1:57.80 to go fourth on the world list this year.
She led from the gun in what could have been an exhibition race as she went completely unchallenged the whole four laps, storming to a nine second PB having not ran this distance indoors since 2015.
In 2024 and 2025 Hunter Bell raced in the 1500m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, placing fourth and third respectively.
But after an incredibly successful year in the 800m last summer, Hunter Bell did confirm to European Athletics that she is "very much in a 1500m block".
"I just wanted to do an 800 for the stimulus, that speed stimulus," Hunter Bell added.
"We are just a few weeks out from Worlds now so it's just to get sharp. So, it was kind of like a hard training session today. And I'm happy with the time.
"I've done two world championships, I've come 4th and then third, so third time lucky, hopefully."
Revee Walcott-Nolan, who won bronze over 1500m ahead of Hunter Bell at Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, was also in action and ran a three second seasons best of 4:01.50 to take the 1500m win.
While Ethan Hussey won the men’s 800m in 1:46.48, Jack Higgins won the men’s 1500m in 3:35.60 and Lewis Davey won the men’s 400m in 47.12.
Photos by James Rhodes