Keely Hodgkinson reveals MRI scan shows hamstring abnormality
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson reveals an MRI scan discovered a split hamstring, giving her two tendons and altering her injury risks.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson discovered via MRI that she has a split hamstring giving her two tendons.
- The anatomical anomaly allows her to run if one tendon tears but makes her more prone to breakdowns.
- She has endured two injury-plagued seasons since capturing gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
- The 24-year-old athlete will conclude her 2026 season on Friday at the Athlos event in London.
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson has revealed that a recent MRI scan uncovered an unexpected anatomical abnormality in her hamstring, discovering that she has a split tendon that effectively gives her two tendons instead of the standard single structure.
The 24-year-old athlete explained that she is still learning how to properly manage this unique condition. While the split structure allows her to continue running even when one of the tendons tears, it simultaneously leaves her body more susceptible to frequent breakdowns and physical setbacks.
Hodgkinson's career has faced significant hurdles over the past two seasons since she triumphed to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. She was forced to wait over a year before racing again after sustaining a hamstring injury in February of the following year.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Although she made an impressive return in August 2025 with consecutive Diamond League victories, followed by setting a new indoor 800m world record in February 2026 and winning gold at the World Indoor Championships a month later, she has struggled to replicate that dominant form outdoors.
She suffered three defeats against 22-year-old Swiss runner Audrey Werro, including losing her European crown. These setbacks followed her second-place finish behind Werro in the 800m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest last September, compounded by a hamstring tear at the European Championships in Birmingham.
Anatomical variations such as a split hamstring are exceptionally rare among elite track and athletes, presenting unique biomechanical challenges. Sports scientists and medical teams must carefully tailor rehabilitation protocols to manage load distribution, preventing recurrent tears in athletes who possess non-standard tendon configurations.
Furthermore, Hodgkinson disclosed that she suffered a freak accident while jogging along a canal during a warm-down session. The fall resulted in cuts to both knees and a whiplash-like jarring in her back, turning the past few months into a severe physical battle.
While acknowledging that the canal incident could have contributed to her subsequent injury at the European Championships—which forced her to withdraw from Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels—she firmly stressed that she is not using it as an excuse.
Looking ahead, Keely Hodgkinson will officially bring her 2026 track season to a close on Friday in London at the all-female Athlos event, an innovative competition launched by Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian.
Source: BBC Sport
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