Keely Hodgkinson wins Athlos London 800m in hooded black bodysuit at Mill Hill
Keely Hodgkinson destroyed the women's 800m field in a hooded black bodysuit at the Athlos London meeting in Mill Hill on 18 September 2026, winning in 1min 56.40sec. She finished more than two seconds clear of Switzerland's Valentina Rosamilia and collected $65,000 and a Tiffany crown.
Athlos arrived in London billed as an all-female, radically different take on track and field, and the Mill Hill meeting presented itself more like a late-night show than a traditional athletics meeting. DJ Trauma occupied a prominent position in front of the main stage and the bassline ran throughout the night, accompanied by dancing, frequent crowd prompts and a younger-than-usual audience. As Hodgkinson was introduced the stadium MC said: “Wait until she comes around the corner, she looks bad, bad, bad. In a custom Nike custom suit, Keely Hodgkinson!” and the atmosphere included features such as a barcode scan that put selected fans on a main screen and a noise-meter.
Hodgkinson said she had worked six months with Nike on the suit, which she described as having openings for her sunglasses and ponytail, and added: “It is pretty sick.” She later elaborated: “This is a project I have been working on with Nike for quite some time. It went down a treat. Life is about enjoying it and this was so much fun.” Arriving on the red carpet in a baggy tracksuit, Hodgkinson was met by screaming teenage girls; she said: “I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome, but it was fun!” and added, “My outfit was last minute, but for inspiration, I feel like it’s Liam Gallagher. I’m from Manchester, he’s from Manchester, I feel like I look like him.”
On the track, Hodgkinson ran 1min 56.40sec to win the 800m, described in the meeting report as having “thrashed a weak field.” The bodysuit was noted as an enduring image of the night, with one observer writing that it brought to mind Cathy Freeman at Sydney 2000.
The meeting featured only 42 athletes across seven events spread over two hours, with prize money of $65,000 for each event winner and $35,000 for second place. The event was streamed for free on YouTube, and the report noted that broadcasting rights “couldn’t have brought in much either,” likening Athlos to a Field of Dreams principle: build it and people will come.
There were competitive performances elsewhere: in the women's mile Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska won in 4:19.43, 0.11 sec ahead of Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell, while the women's 400m saw Marileidy Paulinho run 48.73sec and Henriette Jaeger set a Norwegian national record of 48.78. Sha'Carri Richardson won the women's 100m in 10.80, and Paris Olympic champion Gabby Thomas won the women's 200m in 22.13sec. During the mile the stadium co-commentator Kath Merry asked: “Who wants the crown? Who wants the $65,000. It is getting quicker than quicker.”
Britain’s Imani Lansiquot, who finished fourth in the 200m, said: “It literally felt like an Olympic final,” adding, “It was insane. It lived up to every expectation.” The report also recorded the loudness of the event, saying the bassline from DJ Trauma “carried enough power to make eardrums bleed,” and noted that while late-season cold might have suggested slow times, several athletes produced quick marks.
Asked about the future of Athlos, Gabby Thomas said: “I think it’s more of this. It’s a red carpet, celebrating the culture, it’s about style, it’s about looking good, feeling good, chasing crowns, so just literally bringing that energy to London and celebrating with all our fans and supporters.”
