Kerr hunts mile record but Hodgkinson plays down 800m bid – watch Diamond League on BBC

July 17, 2026 No Comments

Kerr hunts mile record but Hodgkinson plays down bidImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Could Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr both set world records on Saturday?Published16 July 2026Updated 2 hours agoBritish stars Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr headline Saturday’s star-studded Diamond League meeting at London Stadium.With a capacity 60,000 crowd eager to roar her on, Olympic 800m champion Hodgkinson had talked about taking on athletics’ longest-standing individual track world record when she lines up in the women’s 800m at 15:51 BST.But after a frustrating start to the summer season, the 24-year-old mentioned on Friday that her main focus was “winning and being back on top” after “these last couple of weeks when it’s been a bit difficult”.Kerr, 28, is aiming to add his name to the stellar list of British men to have held the world record for the mile (15:36 BST).The 2023 world 1500m champion declared in March that his intention was to break Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj’s time of three minutes 43.13 seconds set in 1999.The London Athletics Meet will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 13:00 BST, while there will be live text commentary and video highlights on the BBC Sport website and app.Among other British stars in action are Zharnel Hughes in the men’s 100m, Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith and Success Eduan in the women’s 200m, Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men’s 400m and Max Burgin and Ben Pattison in the men’s 800m. Global stars to watch include pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis and Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who will compete in the men’s 800m one week after breaking the 1,000m world record in Monaco.

Women’s 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred and men’s 100m world champion Oblique Seville will also be there.

Speed suits & altitude rooms – how Kerr plans to beat mile world record
Hodgkinson ready for ‘battle of world records’ in London

Hodgkinson ‘in really good shape’ for London

Hodgkinson beaten by Odira as world record chase continues

Hodgkinson, 24, has had a frustrating outdoor season and has yet to win a Diamond League race this year, despite improving her own British record.

After breaking the 24-year-old world indoor record in Lievin in February, Hodgkinson captured her first world indoor title in March.

Those successes raised hopes that Hodgkinson would be able to break Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova’s record time of one minute and 53.28 seconds, set in Munich in 1983.

The Briton improved her national record to 1:54.33 in Stockholm in early June but suffered a shock defeat by Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, who ran the third fastest 800m in history to win the race.

Two weeks later, Hodgkinson pulled out of the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships in tears after feeling “a little hamstring twinge” moments before the race.

After Werro improved her best time to 1:53.80 in Paris, Hodgkinson looked to kick-start her season at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene.

However, competing with both knees strapped after a heavy fall in training, she finished in second place behind world champion Lilian Odira.

Asked if the record attempt was still her target on Saturday, Hodgkinson mentioned: “I haven’t missed any training. I feel quite good. I’m just taking the pressure off myself because I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t need to chase anything just because anybody else wants it to be done.

“I’m in really good shape and in a really good place. I think fast times come from great races. If that’s Saturday then great, if it’s in a few weeks or next year, I don’t care.”

She will face tough competition in Ethiopia’s Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol, who has made rapid strides since moving up from 400m to 800m this season and recorded a time of 1:55.60 in Paris.

However, training partner and world silver medallist Georgia Hunter Bell has pulled out of the meet because of a heavy cold.

Rising British star Phoebe Gill, who reached the Olympic semi-finals in Paris aged 17, will make her Diamond League debut having battled back from an injury that ruled her out of the 2025 outdoor season.

As an athlete, I’m not scared of failing – Kerr

Kerr ready to attempt world mile record this year

El Guerrouj set his world record in 1999 when British record holder Kerr was only one year old.

Kerr set his personal best of 3:45.34 in 2024 and is sixth on the all-time list, two places behind Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Yared Nuguse of the United States, who also races on Saturday.

Kerr, who won world indoor 3,000m gold in Poland earlier this year, will be paced by his training partner Brannon Kidder and will have fellow Scot Neil Gourley alongside him.

The Scot has been fitted with a bespoke aerodynamic suit and custom spikes for the attempt – and believes the odds are in his favour despite needing to take 2.21 seconds off his personal best.

“As an athlete, I’m not scared of failing,” he mentioned. “It’s not something that I was born with. I’m on the attack at all times and I’m bold with what I talk about.

“I think it’s important to tell people what your goals are. It keeps everyone honest within track and field and hopefully I can bring a couple more eyeballs on it as well.

“I’m not fearing that in any way. I’m just going out there and doing what I’ve mentioned that I’m capable of doing.

“I’m trying to do something that no-one’s ever done. There’s definitely a risk of failure, but it’s not something that’s on my mind particularly often.”

Sprint stars ready to put on a show

Julien Alfred celebrates winning the Monaco Diamond League 200m — Image caption,

Only world record holder Florence Griffith Joyner (21.34 seconds) and Shericka Jackson (21.41) have run faster than Julien Alfred

Olympic silver medallist Alfred comes into the meeting in blistering form having set the third-fastest women’s 200m time in history of 21.51 seconds in Monaco last weekend.

The Saint Lucian will take on American Gabby Thomas, who denied her a sprint double at the Paris Olympics, as well as British stars Asher-Smith, Hunt and new national champion Eduan over 200m at 15:15.

In the men’s 100m at 15:04, world champion Seville of Jamaica faces Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, American world indoor champion Jordan Anthony, African record holder Kanyinsola Ajayi and the British trio of Zharnel Hughes, Jeremiah Azu and Romell Glave.

How to watch on the BBC

Live coverage on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and online via the live text commentary page starts at 13:00 BST.

Full London Athletics Meet schedule

All times BST and subject to late changes.

12:36 – 100m men’s ambulant

12:44 – 1500m men’s ambulant

12:58 – 100m women’s ambulant

13:04 – women’s discus throw

13:07 – 1500m men’s wheelchair

13:16 – 800m men’s national

13:25 – 400m women’s national

13:30 – men’s pole vault

13:37 – 4x100m men’s relay

13:46 – 4x100m women’s relay

13:51 – women’s discus throw final

14:03 – 400m men’s hurdles

14:10 – women’s high jump

14:14 – 400m women

14:25 – 800m men

14:35 – 3,000m women

14:49 – women’s long jump

14:53 – 110m men’s hurdles

15:04 – 100m men

15:15 – 200m women

15:26 – 400m men

15:36 – Emsley Carr Mile

15:51 – 800m women

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