Hodgkinson set for long-awaited return after ‘frustrating’ year

Silesia Diamond League

Location: Silesia, Poland Date: Saturday, 16 August

Keely Hodgkinson is set to contest her first race since being crowned Olympic 800m champion 12 months ago, after what she has described as a “frustrating” and “upsetting” year.

Hodgkinson, whose return from the hamstring injury she sustained in February has been delayed by setbacks, will make her long-awaited return to competition on Saturday – four weeks before the start of the World Championships in Tokyo.

The 23-year-old British track star, a two-time world silver medallist, will race over 800m in Silesia, Poland, live on the BBC.

“I think tomorrow is just a stepping stone on the way [to the World Championships],” Hodgkinson said at a news conference on Friday.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there and just being competitive again. I’ve come out ready to go, so I’m just excited to put something together.

“It’s been a frustrating year, for real. It has definitely been a bit upsetting at times and missing [July’s Diamond League meeting in] London was hardest for me because it was so good last year and I just wanted to be there in front of my home crowd, especially coming back after the Olympics.

As Hodgkinson’s race is not part of the Diamond League programme in Silesia, it will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app from 14:45 BST.

Coverage of the Diamond League events will follow, also available on BBC Two from 15:00-17:00.

Fellow Briton Georgia Hunter Bell will target her third Diamond League win of the season in the 1500m, as the Olympic bronze medallist weighs up whether to target that event in Tokyo, or join Hodgkinson in the 800m.

Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell, who are both coached by Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, will then go head to head in the 800m at the Lausanne Diamond League next Wednesday.

Also in Silesia, Dina Asher-Smith takes on world champion Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100m, while Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt are up against two-time world champion Shericka Jackson in the 200m.

World indoor champion Amber Anning is in the women’s 400m, and the men’s 1500m features Neil Gourley.

All times BST

The 16th Diamond League season is under way as athletics’ Olympic stars build towards their shot at world glory in 2025.

Athletes compete for points in 32 disciplines in a bid to qualify for the finals in Zurich in August.

That takes place just over a fortnight before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

All Diamond League events will be shown on the BBC, which has agreed a deal to broadcast the competition for the next five years.

It is also the first year in which the Diamond League must compete with Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Track for athletes’ attention.

However, there has been only one direct clash between the two competitions – with the Miami Slam on 2-4 May taking place at the same time as the meet in Keqiao, China on 3 May.

The Diamond League has increased its prize money to a total of $9.24m (£6.95m) across the series.

Athletes compete for points at the 14 regular series meetings which started in April and run through to August.

Points are awarded on a scale from eight for first place to one for eighth place.

After the 14th meeting in Brussels, the top six ranked athletes in the field events, the top eight in track events from 100m up to 800m, and the top 10 in the distances from 1500m upwards qualify for the finals.

26 April – Xiamen, China

03 May – Keqiao, China

16 May – Doha, Qatar

25 May – Rabat, Morocco

06 June – Rome, Italy

12 June – Oslo, Norway

15 June – Stockholm, Sweden

20 June – Paris, France

05 July – Eugene, USA

11 July – Monaco

19 July – London, England

16 August – Silesia, Poland

20 August – Lausanne, Switzerland

22 August – Brussels, Belgium