Keely Hodgkinson: Athlos 800m win in New York for British runner

Keely Hodgkinson ended her 800m season with victory at the all-female Athlos meet in New York on Friday evening.

The Olympic champion, who won bronze at the World Championships last month, cruised to an impressive win in one minute 56.53 seconds in what was only her sixth race in a season blighted by a hamstring injury.

Fellow Briton and world silver medallist Georgia Hunter Bell was second again in 1:58.33, while St Vincent’s Shafiqua Maloney (1:58.57) was third.

“I’ve barely raced this season so it was probably less of a struggle for me to go out there and want to give it something,” said Hodgkinson, 23.

“The atmosphere out there is crazy so it was really, really fun.”

The women-only meet packed Icahn Stadium in its second year, bringing a party atmosphere to traditional track, with live music and Tiffany & Co. crowns replacing traditional winners’ medals.

The 23-times tennis major winner Serena Williams, who is married to Athlos founder Alexis Ohanian, was on hand to present the winners with their crowns.

Last year’s winners took home $60,000 (£44,603) – one of the largest prize purses in athletics.

The event also attracted some of the sport’s biggest names, as Kenya’s three-time Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Faith Kipyegon won the mile, crossing the finish line in four hours 17.78 minutes.

American Brittany Brown, the 200m bronze medallist from last year’s Paris Olympics, won the 100m and 200m double.

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