THAT FINAL KICK – Golden Girl Keely is back!
Our very own middle-distance runner, Phoebe Music (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers), talks through the reasons why Keely Hodgkinson (Leigh Harriers) is the hot favourite for the 800m gold at the World Athletics Championships this week in Tokyo.
From striding through sand and sizing up the competition to perfecting that final kick, she is freshly back from injury and has all the qualities needed. The Tokyo organisers obviously agree, as they have cannily placed her event on the very last night of competition. Just watch her go.
Keely Nicole Hodgkinson is back in Tokyo, the scene of her breakthrough race at the 2021 Olympics, and the 23-year-old is looking to upgrade the world silvers she won in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 to gold. Just as she did in Paris last year.
After some time out with a hamstring injury, Hodgkinson came back this August, running 1.54.74 in the Diamond League in Silesia – the ninth-fastest time ever. She underlined her current form with a 1.55 a few days later in the Diamond League in Lausanne.
The 2024 Olympic gold came after a series of silver medals – Olympics 2021, losing to USA star Athing Mu; World silver in 2022, again losing to Mu by 0.08 of a second; Commonwealth silver that same year behind Kenya’s Mary Moraa; then the silvers in Eugene and Budapest – although the latter was the first time she had beaten Mu in a major championship.
By the time she reached the start line in Paris the weight of expectation – both her own and that of the public – were huge. All eyes were on her, but she didn’t disappoint.
What made the difference? She’s worked hard on her ability to focus and to learn from previous races. Her positive mindset, composure and belief in herself have grown exponentially. It’s also clear that she places great trust in the team she has around her, especially coaches Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows. (Hodgkinson dedicated her European Indoor Championships gold medal to her former coach, Joe Galvin, who had died just the week before).
Pace Setter
Her race strategy for Tokyo will no doubt mirror that of her successes over the past year. Setting the pace, leading from the front, a positive split… and that trademark final kick.
In previous races she has also shown keen tactical awareness, demonstrating versatility based on various scenarios and the women she’s competing against.
It’s hard to think of anyone who is better over the last 200m right now, which will give her confidence against her main rivals. And these include fellow Brit Georgia Hunter-Bell and Switzerland record-holder Audrey Werro – who have run 1.55.96 (a personal best) and 1.55.91 respectively this year in the Diamond League final.
But Hodgkinson has beaten the best before, and she’s prepared to do it again.
On The Beach
After overcoming her injury, she’s thrown herself into intensive training in the UK and South Africa. And this includes ‘sand dune training’ on the beach at Formby to help build strength – something she has referred to as being ‘brutal’. Now Hodgkinson will look to achieve gold in Tokyo by focusing on a mix of speed and endurance. There’s also her desire not to come second again after her disappointments before Paris.
Regarded as Team GB’s ‘golden girl’, she has come a long way in the seven years since she won 800m gold at the European Championships in 2018. After that she won the British Indoor Championships at 17 on her senior debut, then became the youngest winner of the British outdoor title later that year.
The pressure is on, with everyone, it seems, expecting her to bring home gold. But we are all behind her too – including childhood friend, and England and Manchester United footballer, Ella Toone, who has always been a vocal supporter.
Lord Seb Coe has said he believes that Keely Hodgkinson could become one of Team GB’s greatest ever track and field athletes. And the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 herself has echoed this, telling BBC Sport: “I would like to one day be considered one of the best Britain has ever had and I just keep working towards making that happen.”
With Hodgkinson’s eyes firmly on beating Jarmila Kratochvilova’s world record set 42 years ago – which is still the longest standing record in athletics – I suspect we still have the best to come.
Watch Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m semifinal on Friday 19th at 12.43pm, and the final on Sunday 21st September at 11.35am UK time.
Photos: Helen M Jerome
