had always been the bridesmaid at major international competitions – until now, Keely Hodgkinson had always been the bridesmaid at major international competitions – until now.
Storming to the front of the pack in the women’s 800m final, Hogkinson finally – and rightfully – became the bride as she secured her first Olympic gold last night (5 August) in the Stade de France. Powering over the finish line as the clear winner with room to spare, the Brit clocked 1:56.72 to seal the deal ahead of Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, who scored silver in 1:57.15, and Kenya’s Mary Moraa, the reigning 800m world champion who bagged bronze in 1:57.42.
Hodgkinson’s triumphant punch of the air was then softened with tears as she took a moment on the track to comprehend her achievement. That elusive Olympic gold medal was finally hers – and she knew, like us, that she deserved it.
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‘That was absolutely incredible,’ she Phil Sesemann and his rise to the Olympic marathon after the race. ‘I’ve worked so hard for this over the last year. I think you could see how much it meant to me when I crossed the line. I can’t believe I’ve finally done it! It means so much.’
Ticking off the first lap in 58.3 seconds and the final lap in 58.4 seconds, Hodgkinson was metronomic in her execution of this all-important 800m. ‘I wanted to be up near the front – probably quicker than what I was at the bell,’ she said, reflecting on her race tactics. ‘But doing the semi-final and final back-to-back, I feel like everyone was tired – it’s tough.
‘I trusted myself and could feel Mary [Moraa] pushing me on the back straight – but, composure. And we got to the line first this time!’
A two-time European Athletics Championships highlights and the British 800m record holder, Hodgkinson boasts a jaw-dropping PB of 1:54.61 and is, as such, the six-fastest woman ever over the two-lap distance.
In Paris, she seemed to breeze through her 800m semi-final on Sunday (4 August) in a time of 1:56.86, solidifying her status as the favourite going into the Olympic final. And yet, not even the best athletes in the world can fully predict how things will fare under the glare of the stadium lights, when it matters most.
‘You can’t do anything until you’ve crossed that line and it’s cemented,’ continued Hogkinson to the BBC. ‘And now I’m the Olympic champion for the next four years and nobody can take that away from me!
‘I feel like I’ve really grown over the last couple of years, and I think that this year was a year where you could really tell I was trying to make that step up,’ added Hodgkinson, who was one of three British hopefuls in the women’s 800m, alongside Phoebe Gill and Jemma Reekie. Despite strong performances in their respective semi-finals, both Gill and Reekie were unable to qualify for this year’s Olympic final.
‘I knew that to cross that line today I had to go one better than I ever have, and I feel like I have and I feel like there’s more there, and I’m just so pleased to do it today. So yeah, the future’s bright!’
She thanked her immediate network and home nation as a whole for the ongoing support that she’s received up to this winning moment. ‘It’s not just me,’ she noted. ‘My people know who they are. It’s a whole team effort – it’s our gold medal.’
Hodgkinson’s victory is Britain’s first Olympic gold in the athletics in eight years.
Among other wonders last night, we saw high-pressure jostling and temporary-disqualification in the women’s 5000m, and Sweden’s untouchable Armand Duplantis reach new heights – quite literally – in the pole vault, where he jumped an extraordinary 6.25m to break his own world record.
For 22-year-old Hodgkinson, though, it’s now time to enjoy some much-needed rest and reward. Then, we look forward to seeing the next chapter of her fruitful athletics career unfold.
