ATHERTON'S Keely Hodgkinson defended her European Indoor Championships 800m title in style as she ran away from the field to take gold.
The 21-year-old eased to victory in Istanbul with a run of one minute and 58.66 seconds, more than a second outside the British record she set in Birmingham last weekend, to win by a distance.
Slovenia's Anita Horvat finished a distant second with Agnes Raharolahy of France claiming bronze.
Hodgkinson's win was not unexpected - she went into the final with a season's best more than three seconds quicker than any of her rivals.
Speaking on BBC Sport Hodgkinson dedicated the win to her former coach Joseph Galvin, who died earlier this week.
She said: "I've not had time to process it.
"This one is definitely for him. He had a lot of belief in 10-year-old me.
"I hope to make him really proud and I know he will be up there watching, along with his wife at home who I know will be so proud of me as well."
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