The 23-year-old was primarily relieved she had backed up her words from earlier in the week, when she confidently told a press conference the record was hers to take. “Thank God!” she declared in a trackside interview with World Athletics. I’ve been really looking forward to this for a good few weeks, so thank you for the amazing crowd. Speaking trackside at that event in Birmingham, the Atherton athlete mused that she “accidentally ran quite fast” without help. KEELY’S WORLD RECORD RUN 🤩 The indoor 800m world record is finally hers 🙏 ⏱️ 1:54.87#WorldIndoorTour pic.twitter.com/l9mIjCaFVi — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 19, 2026She clapped her hands after crossing the line, where she accepted congratulations from her fellow competitors before splaying out like a starfish on the track to soak in the rousing appreciation from the crowd.

Source: Express February 19, 2026 22:06 UTC