It’s been a week of records being smashed and comebacks being made. Here is the big stories from this week in Athletics.

Azu breaks Track Record

Sprintings Prince of Wales Jeremiah Azu has had a successful year on all accounts. He started the year before taking the indoor World and European 60m titles following those showings up by taking his 100m form and rivaling the best in the world in the Diamond League. Finishing ahead of Olympic and World Champions in his outdoor opener in Xiamen.

But Sunday at the Stratford Speed GP may just have been the icing on the cake. Azu broke the track record in 9.97 clocking not only his joint personal best but also a world championships qualifying time. 

After a British Championships where the headlines were stolen by Zharnel Hughes storming to both the 100m and 200m Championship Records. Azu has done more than enough to book his seat on the plane to Tokyo. 

Hodgkinson’s Triumphant Return 

Keely Hodgkinson described her frustration in having to make her season debut in the middle of August in a press conference last Friday. 

The Olympic 800m champion had not raced since that fateful night in Paris due to a plight of injuries including a minor hamstring tear that sidelined the star from her own indoor event in February. 

Hodgkinson has since gone on to announce and then withdraw from Diamond League meetings in Stockholm, Eugene and London and she continued to battle to get back to full fitness. The 23-year-old's desperation to race showed as she line up in a pre program race in Saturday’s Silesia Diamond League aiming to piece together some form of World Championships prep in the chaotic ending to the series’ season that will see 4 meets in the space of 10 days. 

From the gun Hodgkinson sat neatly behind pacemaker and accomplished Dutch relay star Lissanne De Witte who towed the pack around 500m before Keely was set free and immediately attacked down the back straight building an unassailable lead. As she rounded the final bend it became the Olympic champion against the clock as commentators shouted in disbelief that an athlete who has not raced in over 370 days may just be on to run the fastest time in the world this year. 

Crossing the finish line in 1:54.74 Hodgkinson had not just run the fastest time in 2025 but also the fastest time over 800m since her Olympic final 13 months ago. 

Following the race Hodgkinson said:

"I planned to run a fast time because I do not have five races any more before Tokyo, I only have today and the meeting in Lausanne.

"So it had to be fast and I am happy that it worked."

Mondo’s 13 not out

Armand Duplantis has once again broken the Pole Vault world record following a vault of 6.29 in The Hungarian Grand Prix Continental Tour Gold event in Budapest.

The Swede last broke the record in his home Diamond League of Stockholm and did so this time in nonchalant fashion deciding to raise the bar after what played out as a typical men’s elite pole vault competition only to break the record with his first attempt. 

Also in Budapest Ben Pattison (800m: 1:44.14s) and Erin Wallace (1500m 4:01.10s) clocked World Championship qualifying times. Pattison took Bronze on the same track at the World Championships in 2023 and seems more fired up than ever before following a disappointing showing at the British championships. Wallace was also edged out in Birmingham finishing fourth in a tactical and slow race. 

Both will race in Wednesday’s British Milers Club MarketAxess Record Breaker which you can watch right here on vincosport.com 

TNT Sports to show World Championships 

Following Warner Bros decision to merge all previous EuroSport broadcasts into TNT Sport it was confirmed late last week that throughout Europe viewers will have coverage of September's Athletics World Championships on Discovery+, MAX, and TNT Sports.

Do not worry if you were expecting the traditional BBC coverage as this will continue as normal following an agreement made between World Athletics and the BBC in 2021.

Steeplechase Shoot Out Set For Tooting

Wednesday live on Vinco will see a straight race against the clock for Phil Norman, Ben Buckingham and Bernard Kater as they head to Tooting in an attempt to set a World Championships qualifying time in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase. 

That race will close an incredible program that will see 3000m European Indoor Champion and current 1500m Diamond League leader Sarah Healy toe the line in the women’s 800m A race against training partners Erin Wallace and Ava Lloyd. They will be joined by indoor British champion Issy Boffey, American Olivia Baker who is a 4x4 World Relays Medalist from 2019 as well as newly crowned British 1500m Champion Sarah Calvert.

In the men’s 800m A Ben Pattison will be joined by 2022 1500m World Champion Jake Wightman and GB athlete Archie Davies who comes off the back of a strong win in the last Grand Prix of the season in Trafford. 

Catch all that action and more live from 18:30BST on Wednesday 20th August on vincosport.com