Keely Hodgkinson was in tears after pulling out of the 400 metres final at the UK Athletics championships in Birmingham but explained she made the call to avoid taking any risks.
The Olympic 800m champion, who has made no secret of her ambitions to break athletics’ longest-standing world record this summer, was out on track for her pre-race warm-up at the Alexander Stadium before walking off and was visibly emotional after stepping away from her lane.
Sources inside the 24-year-old’s camp insisted Hodgkinson was not injured but felt tightness and the withdrawal was precautionary, echoing the announcement over the stadium Tannoy.
Hodgkinson said: “I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent standing on the start line, so I made the tough decision to step away and not race.
“I didn’t want to risk anything this summer.”
