Keely Hodgkinson shows aff her Catwoman style tae steal the show at the Athlos London event

Athlos arrived in Lunnon promisin that its all-wumman spin on athletics wad provide a radical departure frae the status quo. Lang afore Keely Hodgkinson stappit on tae the track dressed in a hiddit black bodysuit – pairt ninja assassin, pairt Catwoman – it had emphatically made its pynt.

Throuoot the twa-hour event, the bassline frae the aptly named DJ Trauma carried eneuch force tae mak eardrums bleed. The stadium PA’s dial appeared tae be permanently stuck on Spinal Tap’s 11. And thae folk that successfully scanned a barcode were then shown dancin and wavin on a giant screen.

But the youngish crood lairgely lapped it up. As Hodgkinson was introduced, the stadium MC tauld the cheerin crood: “Wait until she comes roond the corner, she looks bad, bad, bad. In a custom Nike suit, Keely Hodgkinson!”

Sun the roars had become even looder. Athletics sometimes resembles a vicarage tea pairty. This was mair like a rave. Mill Hill has surely never seen onythin like it.

Efterwards, the Paris Olympic 800m champion insisted that the suit and its aerodynamic design, which also contained openins for her sunglasses and ponytail, had gien her an edge. But she cud hae been runnin in a thick duffle coat and she wad still hae won the $65,000 first prize and Tiffany croon wi ease.

“I think it’s a mixture o fashion, speed and science a comin thegither, for maybe the future o athletics potentially,” said Hodgkinson, efter winnin in 1min 56.40sec, mair than 2sec clear o the Swiss athlete Valentina Rosamilia. “We werenae sure when we were gaun tae wear it, but in hindsight an all-wumman’s event, which is a aboot glitz and glamour and puttin een on wummen, was perfect.”

There was, Hodgkinson acknowledged, a nod tae Cathy Freeman’s famous suit worn at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. But she insisted that this was a new version, legal under World Athletics’ rules, and wi better technology.

“The material, they’ve learned sae muckle aboot makin skin faster, humans faster, there’s sae muckle science ahint it that ye wadna believe. Technically, wi the air drag ye’re slower wi yer hair oot, but I was like: ‘That’s a non-negotiable.’”

Traditional track and field fans probably wad hae hated maist o the nicht, which featured juist 42 athletes and seven events. And the lang gaps atween events surely didnae gang doon weel on TV. But this was designed for a different audience. When Hodgkinson arrived on the red carpet in a baggy tracksuit, for instance, she was accompanied by the soond o dizens o screamin teenage lassies.

“I wasna expectin sic a warm welcome, but it was fun,” she said. “My ootfit was last minute, but for inspiration, I feel like it’s Liam Gallagher. I’m frae Manchester, he’s frae Manchester, I feel like I luik like him.”

The stadium commentary was very different tae. As the wummen’s mile entered the final lap, the stadium co-commentator Kath Merry asked: “Wha wants the croon? Wha wants the $65,000?” The race was decent, mind, wi the Polish athlete Klaudia Kazimierska winnin in 4:19.43, juist 0.11 aheid o Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell.

Efterwards amaist every athlete talked aboot the fun they had. Several even suggested sic events were the future o the sport. But the sober-eyed wad hae left the StoneX Stadium wi plenty o questions.

Athlos offered a very generous prize fund o mair than $1m for this event. But economically it maun hae stung. Oanly aboot 5,000 tickets, the size o the main stand, were sauld. And wi the event bein shown on YouTube, there was nae broadcastin richts windfall.

At the moment Athlos appears tae be operatin on the Field o Dreams principle: if ye build it they will come. Perhaps they will be pruived correct – especially if the sport’s boom accelerates at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. But, as Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track has pruived, it is fiendishly difficult tae build a viable track and field start-up.

Still, the fans saw some fine performances. Gien hoo cauld and late in the season it was, times were expected tae be slaw. Yet in the wummen’s 400m Marileidy Paulino ran a lichtnin quick 48.73, wi Henriette Jaeger settin a Norwegian national record o 48.78 juist ahint her. Sha’Clarri Richardson won the wummen’s 100m in a very speedy 10.80.

The nicht concluded wi maist o the athletes dancin tae Beyoncé’s Run the World (Girls) on the lairge stage. Athlos isna there yet. But it has, at the very least, attracted a few converts.