Hodgkinson and Kerr seek world records in London - watch on BBC

Hodgkinson and Kerr seek world records in London

British stars Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr will attempt to break world records at the Diamond League meeting at London Stadium on Saturday.

With hopes of a capacity 60,000 crowd roaring her on, Olympic champion Hodgkinson will bid to break athletics' longest-standing individual track world record when she lines up in the women's 800m at 15:51 BST.

Kerr, the 2023 world 1500m champion, is aiming to add his name to the stellar list of British men to have held the world record for the mile (15:36 BST).

Among other British stars in action are Zharnel Hughes in the men's 100m, Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith and Success Eduan in the women's 200m, Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men's 400m and Max Burgin and Ben Pattison in the men's 800m.

Global stars to watch include pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis and Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who will compete in the men's 800m one week after breaking the 1,000m world record in Monaco.

Women's 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred and men's 100m world champion Oblique Seville will also be there.

You can watch live coverage of the London Athletics Meet on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 13:00 BST, while there will be live text commentary and video highlights on the BBC Sport website and app.

Hodgkinson aims high after injury issues

Hodgkinson, 24, has had a frustrating outdoor season and has yet to win a Diamond League race this year, despite improving her own British record.

After breaking the 24-year-old world indoor record in Lievin in February, Hodgkinson captured her first world indoor title in commanding fashion in March.

Those successes raised hopes that Hodgkinson would be able to break Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova's record time of one minute and 53.28 seconds, set in Munich in 1983.

The Briton improved her national record to 1:54.33 in Stockholm in early June but suffered a shock defeat by Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who ran the third fastest 800m in history to win the race.

Two weeks later, Hodgkinson pulled out of the 400m final at the UK Athletics Championships in tears after feeling "a little twinge" moments before the race.

After Werro improved her best time to 1:53.80 in Paris, Hodgkinson looked to kick-start her season at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene.

However, competing with both knees strapped after a heavy fall in training, she finished in second place behind world champion Lilian Odira.

Hopefully, Hodgkinson is now fully fit and able to go all out to attack the world record in London.

She will face tough competition in Ethiopia's Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma and Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol, who has made rapid strides since moving up from 400m to 800m this season and recorded a time of 1:55.60 in Paris.

However, training partner and world silver medallist Georgia Hunter Bell has pulled out of the meet because of a heavy cold.

Rising British star Phoebe Gill, who reached the Olympic semi-finals in Paris aged 17, will make her Diamond League debut having battled back from an injury that ruled her out of the 2025 outdoor season.

Time to bring the mile world record home - Kerr

Hicham El Guerrouj's world record for the men's mile of three minutes 43.13 seconds has stood since 1999.

British record holder Kerr, the Olympic 1500m silver medallist, set his personal best of 3:45.34 in 2024.

The 28-year-old is sixth on the all-time list and races Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Yared Nuguse of the United States - the fourth fastest miler in history - on Saturday.

Kerr, who won world indoor 3,000m gold in Poland earlier this year, will be paced by his training partner Brannon Kidder and will have fellow Scot Neil Gourley alongside him.

"It's been a huge goal of my career. It's one of the oldest world records on the track and I think it's one of the most important ones," Kerr told BBC Sport in March.

"It was a non-negotiable to do it in the UK.

"I think that's massively special. It's time to bring the mile world record home.

"We have an amazing history of milers in this country and it's important to go after these records when you're capable."

Sprint stars ready to put on a show

Olympic silver medallist Alfred comes into the meeting in blistering form having set the third-fastest women's 200m time in history of 21.51 seconds in Monaco last weekend.

The Saint Lucian will take on American Gabby Thomas, who denied her a sprint double at the Paris Olympics, as well as British stars Asher-Smith, Hunt and new national champion Eduan over 200m at 15:15.

In the men's 100m at 15:04, world champion Seville of Jamaica faces Botswana's Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, American world indoor champion Jordan Anthony, and the British trio of Zharnel Hughes, Jeremiah Azu and Romell Glave.

How to watch on the BBC

Live coverage on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and online via the live text commentary page starts at 13:00 BST.

Full London Athletics Meet schedule

All times BST and subject to late changes.

12:36 - 100m men's ambulant

12:44 - 1500m men's ambulant

12:58 - 100m women's ambulant

13:04 - women's discus throw

13:07 - 1500m men's wheelchair

13:16 - 800m men's national

13:25 - 400m women's national

13:30 - men's pole vault

13:37 - 4x100m men's relay

13:46 - 4x100m women's relay

13:51 - women's discus throw final

14:03 - 400m men's hurdles

14:10 - women's high jump

14:14 - 400m women

14:25 - 800m men

14:35 - 3,000m women

14:49 - women's long jump

14:53 - 110m men's hurdles

15:04 - 100m men

15:15 - 200m women

15:26 - 400m men

15:36 - Emsley Carr Mile

15:51 - 800m women