Keely Hodgkinson’s team has confirmed that the Nike speed suit the British middle-distance runner wore recently is designed to enhance performance and is not merely a marketing gimmick. Hodgkinson, who is Britain’s reigning Olympic 800 meters champion, was originally scheduled to debut the black, form-fitting “catsuit” at the Stratford Diamond League meeting this summer, an event that took place at London Stadium before a crowd of 59,000 spectators and was broadcast live on the BBC. However, an injury sustained several weeks prior, when she tripped over a metal grate and injured her knee, prevented her from wearing the suit at that time.

The outfit, notable for its open-back design and what has been described as a “sleek speed hood,” was eventually revealed two months later at the Athlos Night, an unofficial athletics meet held in North London. Hodgkinson, 25, who ranks as the sixth fastest woman ever over 800 meters with a personal best of 1:54.33, has expressed that the suit makes her feel confident and comfortable during races, describing it as making her feel “sexy.”

Hodgkinson’s coach, Jenny Meadows, emphasized the suit’s functional benefits, stating that the athlete feels as if she is “not wearing anything” when racing in the suit. Meadows told Athletics Weekly that Hodgkinson remarked on the suit’s lightness and the way it allows her to “flow,” suggesting it contributes positively to her running mechanics.

Hodgkinson’s personal best time places her just over a second behind the longstanding world record of 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983. The team’s endorsement of the suit underlines their belief that the innovative design may assist Hodgkinson in approaching, or potentially surpassing, this historic benchmark.