LONDON: Britain’s Olympic 800m champion Kelly Hodgkinson wrapped up her season $65,000 better off as she won the two-lap event in the women-only Athlos meet in London on Friday.
Hodgkinson, wearing a hooded, backless all-in-one black suit and shades, clocked 1min 56.40sec for the win.
The dominant victory came in a race that did not feature Hodgkinson’s Swiss nemesis Audrey Werro or Dutch rival Femke Broeders-Bol.Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter Bell was edged at the line of the mile by Diamond League and Ultimate Championship 1,500m gold medallist Klaudia Kazimierska of Poland, who won in 4:19.43.
‘It’s awesome to close the season with a win,’ the Pole said, taking her head-to-head for the year against British rival Georgia Hunter Bell to four wins to three.
Kazimierska and Hunter Bell, who has picked up the world indoor, Commonwealth andEuropean 1,500m titles this season, were the two form runners in the field.
Created by Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and husband of tennis’ 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, Athlos is now in its third year after the opening two seasons were staged in New York.
This year’s New York meet, scheduled for Oct 2, was cancelled, and all eyes turned on Friday’s meet at the StoneX Stadium in Barnet, home ofEnglish rugby union side Saracens.
There were just seven events, featuring 42 athletes, chasing not only a top prize of $65,000 (48,500) in each event, but also a Tiffany&Co crown and an equity share in Athlos.
Four of the seven events went to a strong American presence, led by 2023 world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who scorched to victory in the 100m in 10.90sec ahead of New Zealand’s Commonwealth champion Zoe Hobbs.Olympic champion Gabby Thomas then streaked to the 200m crown in 22.13sec.
Alaysha Johnson, in her 40th race of the season, reeled in faststarting Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas to kick off proceedings with victory in the 100m hurdles in 12.50sec.
Charlton came in third as Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan grabbed second, just a hundredth off the American winner.
There was a fourth US victory with Alyssa Jones going out to6.66m to win the sole field event, a long jump with a raised runway and pit alongside the home straight and main stand of the stadium.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic made it three Athlos wins from three, the Olympic 400m champion clocking a record-equalling 15th sub-49see time with 48.73sec.
Norway’s European champion Henriette Jaeger clocked a national record of 48.78sec for second.-AFP