Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson has withdrawn from the women's 800 metres at Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Zurich because her "body is not quite ready". She had been set to compete against Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who defeated the Briton for gold at the European Championships in Birmingham earlier this month.

Hodgkinson stated, "We've made the decision to skip this race and get ready for the next one." The race will feature world 400m hurdles champion Femke Broeders-Bol, who has stepped up to the 800m, and Hodgkinson's training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell, who won 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month. World 800m champion Lilian Odira of Kenya has also pulled out due to illness.

After suffering hamstring and knee injuries over recent years, Hodgkinson skipped the Commonwealth Games to prioritize the European Championships. She previously expressed a desire to compete against the best athletes. Thursday's meet in Zurich is the penultimate Diamond League event of the season, with the final taking place in Brussels on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September.