🔗 Share this article

So far, it’s been a challenging beginning for Team GB at the World Athletics Championships, with only one second-place finish easing the gloom. However on the third day, optimism arrived in the person of the Olympic 800m champion.

Shaking Away the Cobwebs

Confined in her hotel amid sweltering high temperatures, Hodgkinson admitted she had been so bored that she staged lighthearted sprints inside with training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell. Yet she shook off the lethargy and advanced comfortably for the next day’s semi-finals with a time of 1:59.79.

“I dislike the preliminaries,” she stated. “They feel awful and they are awful. It was not ideal or fast tonight but I am securely through.”

Hunter-Bell also advanced by taking her qualifying race, though another British hopeful exited after finishing fifth in her heat.

Team GB Hopes in the Men’s 800m

Team GB holds strong hopes for a podium finish in the men’s 800m after Max Burgin breezed into the final with a second-place finish in 1 minute 43.47 seconds.

“In the race, I truly felt like I had loads left,” Burgin admitted. “Therefore I think the way the heat went, it’s a good sign that it felt easy enough for me to think: ‘Oh, we better push this up.’ In the final, I’m still hoping for a medal.”

Questioned if that medal could be the top prize, Burgin replied, “I think, on my day, I certainly can. I know what a fast tempo feels like, even if it drops to 1:41, I should be comfortable keeping up.”

He added, “I have competed in high-speed races in the Diamond League all year with these lads, so there’s every reason I can’t be among them in this final.”

Women’s 200m Advancement

A pair of Team GB runners advanced to the final in the women’s 200m. The young talent ran a career-best of 22.08 to finish as the third quickest qualifier. The seasoned sprinter also progressed, though Daryll Neita was eliminated.

“I desired this final so much, at all costs,” stated Hunt. “It was essential to beat those girls. It’s so special to do my personal best here to make it.”

More British Success

During a more successful session for British athletes, the distance runner also earned a spot in the 5,000-meter final round after finishing seventh in 14 minutes 48.09 seconds.

“I was thinking ‘you’ve got to get on it, and if you die, you die, but you’re going to give everything,’” Nuttall explained later. “That was the goal.”