Hodgkinson withdraws from Zurich Diamond League, says body not ready

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will not compete in the 800 meters at the Zurich Diamond League meeting on Thursday. The British runner stated her body is not yet ready to race following the European Championships.

Hodgkinson was scheduled to face European champion Audrey Werro in a rematch of their Birmingham final. Werro won that event with a championship record of 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."

The withdrawal adds to recent challenges for Hodgkinson, who has dealt with injuries in past seasons. This has affected her participation in a busy summer schedule. Werro, who recently won the 800m at the Lausanne Diamond League, is still set to compete in Zurich. She will be joined by Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell and Dutch athlete Femke Broeders-Bol. The Zurich event is the second-to-last Diamond League meeting of the season, with the final taking place in Brussels.

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Unfortunately the body isn't quite ready to race again after the European Championships. We've made the decision to skip this race and get ready for the next one.