Paula Radcliffe column: Big three ready for 800m battle as Keely Hodgkinson bids for gold

For Keely Hodgkinson to triumph her archetypal planetary golden medal astatine the World Championships would beryllium truly important successful respective ways.

The 21-year-old is idiosyncratic who truly thrives nether pressure.

The flip broadside of winning successful Budapest connected Sunday (19:45 BST) is that it would adhd unit connected her shoulders going successful to an Olympic year.

But I deliberation that is thing which tin bring the champion retired of Hodgkinson.

The European champion has been truly awesome this year, adjacent down to the determination to miss the London Diamond League arsenic a precaution due to the fact that of illness.

It was a astute move. She conscionable needed to marque definite she felt 100% coming successful to these championships.

That perchance made the nerves a small stronger going into the archetypal circular astatine the Worlds due to the fact that she didn't person that contention down her.

But, truthful far, she has looked large and truly successful power successful progressing to the final.

Where Hodgkinson is astir awesome is that she intelligibly loves what she is doing and she is having amusive - but astatine the aforesaid clip she is wholly successful control.

She has shown a batch of maturity and is amended astatine decision-making and the tactical broadside of racing than athletes a batch older than her.

And she eluded to the information that she has been trying antithetic tactics. That shows she has taken a measurement up, adjacent from past twelvemonth erstwhile she was 2nd to Athing Mu successful Eugene.

Now she is considering her strategy, what her rivals are reasoning and whether she is giving distant excessively overmuch accusation - successful summation to advancing safely to the final.

Reigning Olympic and satellite champion Mu and Commonwealth golden medallist Mary Moraa are expected to beryllium her main rivals for gold.

If you opposition Hodgkinson with Mu, who is the aforesaid age, the American has the endowment but she does not look to bask the contention the aforesaid way.

You consciousness that, erstwhile it comes down to it, surely that hunger for thing you truly privation could marque the quality successful the end.

There is precise small to take betwixt them, particularly aft what happened successful the semi-finals with Mu astir falling. She was precise measured and calm arsenic she got herself backmost successful to the race, but we didn't truly larn thing astir her form, fittingness oregon contention tactics.

Most radical expect Moraa to spell retired accelerated and usage the tactics which earned her triumph implicit Hodgkinson astatine the Commonwealth Games successful 2022 and the Lausanne Diamond League successful June.

But I deliberation that would beryllium underestimating the Briton, who volition person learned from those past races.

Jenny Meadows, Hodgkinson's coach, said that aft Lausanne she was truly frustrated and made definite to larn from that for the adjacent time.

It's evidently going to beryllium a hard contention but yet she indispensable prime the maneuver that is close for her.

The tactics she would usage to bushed Mu and Moraa are wholly different. She volition person worked retired the mode she feels astir comfy with and astir committed to - due to the fact that that is the 1 she volition beryllium capable to transportation done to the end.

At the extremity of the day, if you're moving 1 infinitesimal 55 seconds, you're going to beryllium determination either mode - truthful it's astir being capable to get determination successful a mode that allows you to decorativeness arsenic powerfully arsenic possible.

It is truthful bully to spot 2 British girls going into the satellite last successful large shape.

Hodgkinson is evidently the favourite to marque the podium but Jemma Reekie is looking good. It would beryllium phenomenal if Britain could sneak 2 medals.

It was hugely awesome however Reekie got herself retired of a messiness successful the semi-final. The 25-year-old has had a bumpy thrust implicit caller years which has truly knocked her confidence.

For her to driblet to fundamentally past and past person the composure to find a mode done similar she did was precise impressive. I deliberation radical who possibly did not foretell her to get successful the apical 4 oregon 5 surely are now.

She's surely coming successful nether the radar - a spot similar Katarina Johnson-Thompson successful the heptathlon - and I deliberation if immoderate of the large 3 bash marque a mistake past she is going to beryllium close there.

Any different twelvemonth we would beryllium saying Reekie has a medal shot. But it is specified a high-quality final, with Hodgkinson, Mu and Moraa acceptable to conflict for gold.

Paula Radcliffe was speaking to BBC Sport's Harry Poole.