Odira, Hodgkinson, Hunter-Bell set for fireworks in Eugene showdown

Lilian Odira/ FILE

World 800m champion Lilian Odira is poised to reignite her rivalry with Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter-Bell when the three middle-distance queens parade at the Prefontaine Classic on July 4.

‎Their latest collision in Eugene comes on the back of an explosive showdown at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo last September. In that electric race in Tokyo, Odira unleashed a devastating finishing kick, sweeping past the two Britons to storm to world gold in a championship record of 1:54.62.  Hunter-Bell chased her home for silver in 1:54.90, while Hodgkinson settled for bronze in 1:54.91.

‎‎The Tokyo duel marked only the third head-to-head between Odira and Hodgkinson. ‎Before their world championship clash, the pair had flexed their muscles at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in August.

‎In that race, Hodgkinson reigned supreme, slicing through the field to clock 1:54.74 ahead of Odira, who settled for second in 1:56.52. ‎Botswana’s Oratile Nowe finished third in 1:56.76. ‎Their first meeting dates back to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where they crossed paths in the semifinals. 

Hodgkinson dictated the pace and powered to victory in 1:56.86 to book her slot in the final, while Odira faded to fourth in 1:58.53, narrowly missing out on qualification.

‎Hodgkinson would go on to clinch Olympic gold in 1:56.72, with Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.15) and Kenya’s Mary Moraa (1:57.42) claiming silver and bronze, respectively. ‎Odira is yet to open her 2026 campaign, but she strides into the new season buoyed by a commanding 2025 campaign.

‎Her season roared to life with a strong third-place finish at the National Cross Country Championships in Eldoret, where she clocked 7:09 over 2km.  ‎She then transitioned smoothly indoors, storming to an 800m victory at the Lyon meet in 2:01.24 before returning to the mud to finish second at the Sirikwa Classic Cross-Country  Championship in 6:47 over 2km.

‎There was a brief stumble at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, where she timed 2:16.12 in the 800m semifinals to miss out on the final.  She bounced back emphatically, stringing together back-to-back victories: a commanding 1,500m win (4:21.5) at the fifth AK weekend meet, followed by an authoritative 800m triumph (1:58.31) at the Kip Keino Classic before sealing the national 800m title in 2:02.08. 

‎Meanwhile, Hodgkinson has already fired an early warning shot in 2026. ‎On February 19 at the Meeting Hauts-de-France, she obliterated the world 800m Indoor record, clocking 1:54.87. Hunter-Bell has also been in sparkling form this year, collecting back-to-back indoor 1,500m victories in Karlsruhe (4:00.04) and at Meeting Hauts-de-France (4:00.21).