With 1:57.43 in Boston the 25-year-old gives Keely Hodgkinson’s record a scare and goes No.8 on world all-time rankings.
Until this weekend Issy Boffey hadn’t broken two minutes indoors for 800m and her best outdoors was 1:59.30. Yet she stormed to 1:57.43 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University on Friday (Jan 30) to produce the British breakthrough performance of 2026 so far.
Boffey’s time was only a quarter of a second outside Keely Hodgkinson’s British indoor record of 1:57.18. Her time also places her No.8 on the world all-time rankings.
Boffey won the race, too, whereas hot on her heels was Roisin Willis, who set an American indoor record of 1:57.97.
A night of fast times also saw British runner Katie Snowden excel as she won the women’s 3000m in a PB of 8:39.89.
As a young runner, Boffey completed a sweep of European age-group titles at 800m. In Tbilisi in 2018 she won the European under-18 crown followed by the under-20 title in Boras in 2019. Then, in 2021, she won the European under-23 gold in Tallinn.
The Enfield & Haringey athlete went to study biomedical science at Birmingham University and is still coached by Birmingham Uni-based Luke Gunn.
“Things have been going so well with my coach and I’m in such a happy and healthy place,” she said.
“I’m a bit in shock but if I look at the training and times I’ve been hitting then it’s not as much of a surprise.
“I was really hoping this year would be a big jump for me. I’ve been gunning for a new PB for the last couple of years and I knew it was possible but it was a case of going into the race and executing it.
“With this time now I’ve got more confidence going on to the world stage and want to go to some Diamond Leagues this year and get involved with the best of the best and prove to myself and everyone that I can be competitive.
“The sky’s the limit now. I can take so much confidence away from this.”
Boffey will now return to the UK to train ahead of the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships where she will face Hodgkinson on her home turf of Birmingham.
