Keely Hodgkinson has again made her feelings clear about the World Athletics Championship potentially being held in London
Keely Hodgkinson
Keely Hodgkinson has taken a fresh swipe at West Ham(Image: Getty Images)
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Keely Hodgkinson has taken a fresh swipe at West Ham for potentially wrecking her dream of competing at a major championship on home soil. Plans have been drawn up to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championship at the London Stadium but the Hammers, who hold a long-term lease at the venue, have reportedly refused to relocate for the proposed September dates.
The club have previously stated they have an agreement in place granting them priority use of the former Olympic stadium during the football season. Hodgkinson provoked a fierce response from some West Ham supporters earlier this week with a tongue-in-cheek post on X about the situation.
She wrote: "The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than west ham have seen in their entire history."
The 24-year-old, who won Olympic 800m gold in Paris in 2024, has since doubled down on her criticism of the Hammers. The Manchester United fan insisted she enjoyed the reaction to her medals comment.
She posted: "Thoroughly enjoyed the rattled comments under this, but in all seriousness, to have a global championships back in London would be incredible for our sport. I didn't think we'd get the opportunity again during my career, the British crowd would fill it everyday."
In a fresh dig, she pointed out the Hammers were tenants, not owners, of the stadium, which they moved into in 2016 after leaving Upton Park.
She added: "Seems silly for London to be taken out of the running, over a football team not compromising on a stadium they pay RENT for when it's only a few extra away games, everything's always all about money and never moments. Let us have this moment!!! Pretty please."
Keely Hodgkinson
Hodgkinson wasn't bothered by the backlash from Hammers fans(Image: Getty Images)
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Hodgkinson, who had to settle for bronze at last year's World Championship in Tokyo after battling back from injury, recently clinched gold by storming to victory in the 800m at the World Indoor Championships in Poland.
She clocked a championship record time of one minute, 55.3 seconds, the second-fastest indoor performance in history behind the world record she set in Lievin, France in February.
Hodgkinson is in the form of her life after rebounding from an injury-riddled 2025. She is overflowing with confidence that another world record is a question of when, not if.
A general view inside West Ham's London Stadium
West Ham are reportedly unwilling to vacate the London Stadium for the World Athletics Championship(Image: PA)
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The women's outdoor 800m record of 1:53.28, set more than 40 years ago by Jarmila Kratochvilova, is the oldest in track and field. Hodgkinson said: "To have that confidence back in me, I've not missed anything. I was like, 'If you're beating me, you're going to run damn fast to do it'.
"I wanted to go out there and put on a bit of a show. I felt like I had the strength. Three rounds in three days is tough, but I did it!"