The women's 800m promises to be a spectacular occasion in the Allianz Memorial Van Damme on Saturday, but there will be no Keely Hodgkinson present in this year's Diamond League showpiece.
Hodgkinson is a two-time Diamond Trophy winner having claimed top honours in 2021 and 2023, and it was expected the Briton would renew her captivating rivalry with Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol in Brussels as she bid to become a three-time Diamond League winner.
The reigning 800 metres Olympic champion missed the concluding series meeting of the Diamond League campaign in Zurich last week, although her absence did not matter as Hodgkinson had already accrued enough points to secure her qualification for the final.
With Werro's and Broeders-Bol's participation in Saturday's event confirmed, Hodgkinson's name does not feature in the 10-strong field, nor does Lilian Odira's, the reigning 800m world champion.
Keely Hodgkinson's Diamond League absence explained
Hodgkinson will not be running in this weekend's 800m Diamond League final due to a hamstring issue.
The 24-year-old has not competed since finishing second in the 800m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Friday 14th August.
Hodgkinson is eager to manage her workload to avoid exacerbating the injury, and it remains unclear as to whether the Team GB star will be fit enough to feature in the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.
The brand-new athletics competition is set to host the world's biggest stars to bring the curtain down on another season, and a lucrative prize pot is on offer for those competing at the event.
Hodgkinson received an automatic entry to the World Athletics Ultimate Championships after winning gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
