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Hodgkinson withdraws
Keely Hodgkinson pulled out of the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships moments before Sunday’s race after feeling "a little twinge".
“feeling "a little twinge"”
The Olympic 800m champion, competing over the shorter distance in a bid to improve her first-lap speed, warmed up for the final in Birmingham but stepped out of her lane shortly before the finalists were put under starters’ orders.
Hodgkinson said she "wasn't feeling 100%" and that she "didn't want to risk anything this summer," as she stood at the side of the track before making her way back inside the Alexander Stadium.
BBC reported that its commentary team received a message from Hodgkinson’s coach Jenny Meadows, saying she withdrew as she "felt a little twinge in her last strides before the race".
In the same meet, Amber Anning earned a reprieve after a false start in the 400m, regrouped, and won in 50.16 seconds.
Tears, rivals, times
Hodgkinson’s withdrawal came with her emotional as she stood at the side of the track before making her way back inside the Alexander Stadium, and the BBC said she was "emotional" as she made that return.
In Birmingham, Wales Online described Hodgkinson as "in tears" as she walked off the track seconds before being due to race in the final of the 400m.
Minutes before Hodgkinson’s exit, Georgia Hunter Bell retained her 800m title, leading throughout to win by a distance in one minute 55.93 seconds, breaking a championship record set by Kelly Holmes in 1995.
The BBC also said Amber Anning won the 400m in 50.16 seconds after a false start, while Hughes remained British champion in the 200m with a championship record of 20.04 seconds.
In the men’s 400m, the BBC reported that Matthew Hudson-Smith reclaimed the British title in 44.45secs, and in the women’s 200m Success Eduan beat Amy Hunt to win in a personal best of 22.43.
Next targets and stakes
Hodgkinson’s decision to step away set up a different summer focus, with the BBC saying her withdrawal comes four weeks before the London Diamond League meeting, which she has earmarked for a tilt at a world record that has stood for 43 years.
“"Leaving [the] champs healthy,"”
The BBC also said she was competing over 400m to improve her first-lap speed and challenge for the 800m world record this summer, and that she added on social media: "Leaving [the] champs healthy,".
Wales Online reported that it was later revealed she had withdrawn as a precaution after she "felt a twinge" shortly before the race, and it quoted her statement that she "didn't want to risk anything ahead of this summer."
Looking ahead to the European Championships, the BBC said the Alexander Stadium is hosting the European Championships from 10-16 August, and that one of its stands has been named after Matthew Hudson-Smith for each event.
With Hodgkinson not contesting the 400m final, the BBC said Amber Anning retained her 400m title, while Georgia Hunter Bell’s 800m win and Hughes’s 200m championship record of 20.04 seconds reshaped the day’s results at the Alexander Stadium.
