In a stunning upset, Kenya’s Lilian Odira overhauled the favored British duo to win the women’s 800 meters at the World championships on Sunday, September 21, breaking a Championship record that had stood for over four decades.
Odira clocked a time of 1:54.62, shaving 0.06 seconds off the previous record set in 1983 and demolishing her personal best. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, the heavy favorite who had been sidelined for months with injury, was overtaken in the final meters and had to settle for bronze in a photo finish with her teammate, Georgina Hunter Bell, who took silver.
The race was intensely fast, with defending champion Mary Moraa of Kenya setting a fierce early pace. Hodgkinson, who had limited track time this season, fought her way through being boxed in at the bell and took the lead with 200 meters to go. It appeared the British pair would secure a one-two finish until Odira unleashed a devastating finishing kick in the final 40 meters, racing past them for a shock victory and her first-ever global medal.