Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic 800m champion, disclosed that medical imaging has identified an anatomical anomaly in her hamstring. The scan revealed that her hamstring is split, giving her two tendons rather than the single tendon most people possess. This structural difference means that when one tendon tears, she can continue running on the remaining one, though it may also increase her vulnerability to injury breakdowns.
Hodgkinson’s discovery came following a suspected hamstring tear that occurred last year. She has been working to understand whether this anatomical variation represents an advantage or disadvantage for her athletic performance. The 24-year-old noted that while the split structure allowed her to continue training despite one tendon being injured, she has had to modify her training regimen, particularly reducing high-speed work where the risk of further damage is greatest.
The athlete has faced significant challenges over the past two seasons since winning Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. After a hamstring injury in February following that victory, she spent over a year before returning to competition. Upon her return in August 2025, she achieved back-to-back Diamond League victories. She subsequently set a new indoor 800m world record in February 2026 and won gold at the World Indoor Championships the following month.
However, her outdoor performances have been inconsistent. She finished second to Swiss runner Audrey Werro at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September, having sustained another hamstring tear at the European Championships in Birmingham several weeks prior. Hodgkinson also suffered a separate injury when she fell while jogging along a canal during a warm-down session, sustaining cuts to both knees and back trauma that she described as significantly impacting her preparation.
Despite the frustrations of the season, Hodgkinson maintained perspective about finishing second in world competition. She is scheduled to compete in London at the Athlos event, an all-female competition, later in the season.
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