Games news
KEELY Hodgkinson’s Olympic silver medal wasn’t even around her neck before she set her sights on dominating 800 metre running for a decade, writes Tom Harle, of Sportsbeat.
Hodgkinson’s stunning silver was Britain’s first 800m medal since Kelly Holmes won gold in 2004 and she broke the middle-distance icon’s 27-year-old national record on the way.
The former Loughborough College student was beaten only by a fellow teenage phenomenon in USA’s Athing Mu, with whom she wants to build an era-defining rivalry.
“It’s incredible to have teenagers taking on the podium,” said Hodgkinson, who clocked a time of 1:55.88.
“That was such a good race from every single person in there, it was so open and I wanted to leave it all out there.
“There isn’t just one 19-year-old in the race, there are two, so hopefully it means we’ll have a competitive ten or 15 years ahead in the 800.
“It’s going to be good and there are even faster times on the horizon.”
These were the words of an athlete whose original target for this summer was to upgrade European junior bronze to gold, with the Olympics a mere pipe dream.
The down-to-earth Wiganer’s childhood hero was Tom Daley and she joined the diving star – who she has admitted having a crush on – in the ranks of Team GB’s medallists with a scorching run.
Hodgkinson, who studies criminology at Leeds Beckett University, has spent more time writing her name into history books in recent months. She became the first British woman to break a world junior record in January and the youngest to win a European indoor title for more than 50 years in March.
“If the Olympics were last year, I wouldn’t be here,” said Hodgkinson. “It’s definitely given me a chance to grow and compete with these girls.
“In the past two years, my team have brought me on and helped me enjoy it. They’ve kept me relaxed, kept me socialising which is how I run my best.
“I’ve taken every aspect of this experience with me, from meeting new people to running in massive stadiums, and I just managed to deliver the race I wanted.
Hodgkinson added: “I’m more amazed by the record and the time rather than the medal.
“Kelly (Holmes) is a massive legend and she always will be. She seems so lovely, she’s sent us a few messages in the
past couple of days and has been so supportive.
“She just gave us some words of wisdom and put a lot of belief in me. It’s nice to have someone like her who believes in me, because she’s amazing.
“It’s been a crazy nine months but I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”