The 800-metre world record for women has been held for more than 40 years, and Keely Hodgkinson is determined to overcome it.
The 22-year-old athlete is inspired to break one of the oldest track world records after winning gold in the distance at the Olympic Games in Paris.
With this goal in mind, the athlete admitted: “It’s definitely something I’ve thought about since I raced in London… I think that record has stood for so long. It’s been a long time since anyone has hit [one minute] 53 seconds, so I’d love to do that.”
In July 1983, at Munich’s Olympic Stadium, Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova set a record for the 800 metres with a time of one minute, 53.28 seconds. Although Hodgkinson’s winning time in Paris was 1:56.72, her confidence has increased significantly since her 1:54.61 time in London last July.
Hodgkinson declared: “I think I can. I now believe I can do that.”
Source: BBC