Keely Hodgkinson was brought to tears after being forced to shelve Saturday’s bid for the world indoor 800m record and pull out of the “Keely Klassic” that was named in her honour.

Having been in the “shape of her life”, Hodgkinson experienced hamstring soreness following a final intense session on Wednesday and a scan on Thursday revealed an injury which means she may now miss the entire indoor season.

Hodgkinson will also miss the European Indoor Championship next month but hopes that it might be possible to return for the World Indoor Championship in China, which begins on March 21.

The Keely Klassic – which will still include Olympic medallist Georgia Bell over 1500m and world indoor champion Molly Caudery in the pole vault among a full schedule of track and field events – will still take place in Birmingham on Saturday without its star attraction.

“I won’t lie; when I got the news this afternoon, I shed a tear,” Hodgkinson said. “I’ve worked so hard for this moment and was in the best shape of my life. I’m absolutely gutted that I won’t be able to race for the fans.

“But this event was never just about me; it was always about showcasing British talent, creating something new for the sport, and bringing more energy and entertainment to athletics. That’s something I’m committed to for the long term.

“I’ll be in Birmingham on Saturday doing everything I can to make sure it’s an amazing night for the athletes and the fans. I want to help create a real festival atmosphere, engage with as many young people as possible, and hopefully inspire the next generation to fall in love with track and field.”

A statement issued on behalf of Hodgkinson acknowledged that the injury raised “questions about her ability to compete again this winter” but said that she was focussed “on the speediest possible recovery” and had not given up on the World Indoor Championship.

Describing the setback as “heartbreaking”, the statement said that her primary vision with the event was always to inspire a deeper connection between athletics and young people.

Hodgkinson has been training in South Africa for much of the winter, returning over Christmas when she was named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year following her Olympic 800m gold in Paris.

She has not raced since becoming Olympic champion after her summer season was cut short by a minor knee injury. Training since October had gone extremely well, however, and there was confidence inside her camp that she was ready to produce a spectacular performance.

BBC wanted to show Flog It! instead of athletics

The BBC had earlier controversially turned down the chance to screen Hodgkinson’s planned comeback on one of their main linear channels, even after she attracted 9.1 million viewers for her Paris gold.

The BBC are showing Saturday afternoon repeats of the film Mr Malcolm’s List and Flog It! on BBC Two, alongside repeats of Escape to the Country and Blue Planet II before Final Score on BBC One. The athletics will instead be available on iPlayer and the US-based FloSports rather than a linear channel or indeed the BBC’s Red Button.

Athletics has been trying to capitalise on its Olympic momentum with various new innovations, including Saturday’s Keely Klassic, which will fuse elite sport with entertainment and music, as well as Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam track league, which begins in Jamaica in April.

There are also three major athletics championships this year: the World and European Indoor Championship in March before the season concludes in Tokyo in September with the outdoors World Championship.

The BBC did not explain why Hodgkinson’s race would not have been shown on BBC One, BBC Two or the Red Button but believe they are supporting the Keely Klassic by screening it on iPlayer.