Hodgkinson withdraws from Zurich Diamond League, says body not ready

Aug 24 - Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson has withdrawn from Thursday's 800 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, saying her body was not ready to race again after the European Championships.

The Briton had been due to face European champion Audrey Werro in a rematch of their Birmingham final, where the Swiss won gold in a championship-record 1:54.81.

"Unfortunately the body isn't quite ready to race again after the European Championships," Hodgkinson said in a statement. "We've made the decision to skip this race and get ready for the next one."

Hodgkinson, who won Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games, has also withdrawn from a busy summer schedule after dealing with injuries in recent seasons.

Werro, who won the 800m at last week's Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, will still compete in Zurich alongside Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell and Dutch 400m hurdles world champion Femke Broeders-Bol.

The Zurich meeting is the penultimate Diamond League event of the season, with the series final scheduled for Brussels on September 4 to 5. REUTERS