Athletics-Hodgkinson withdraws from Zurich Diamond League, says body not ready


Athletics - European Athletics Championships - Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, Britain - August 14, 2026 Silver medallist Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson after the women's 800m final REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

Aug 24 (Reuters) - Olympic ⁠champion Keely Hodgkinson has withdrawn from Thursday's ⁠800 metres at the Diamond League ‌meeting in Zurich, saying her body was not ready to race again after the European Championships.

The Briton had been ​due to face European champion ⁠Audrey Werro in ⁠a rematch of their Birmingham final, where the Swiss ⁠won ‌gold in a championship-record 1:54.81.

"Unfortunately the body isn't quite ready to race ⁠again after the European Championships," Hodgkinson ​said in ‌a statement. "We've made the decision to skip this ⁠race ​and get ready for the next one."

Hodgkinson, who won Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games, ⁠has also withdrawn from a ​busy summer schedule after dealing with injuries in recent seasons.

Werro, who won the 800m at last ⁠week's Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, will still compete in Zurich alongside Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell and Dutch 400m hurdles world champion Femke ​Broeders-Bol.

The Zurich meeting is the ⁠penultimate Diamond League event of the season, with ​the series final scheduled ‌for Brussels on September 4 ​to 5.

(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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