Composure is key as Keely goes for gold

THIS is the showdown everyone wanted, and it just might prove to be the race of the World Championships: Keely Hodgkinson against Athing Mu — the two 20-year-olds who led the women’s 800m home in last year’s Olympic final.

The then-teenagers stamped their supremacy over the rest of the world in Tokyo, with Mu — the tall, graceful, long-striding American — powering to gold in 1:55.21, with Hodgkinson second in 1:55.88.

Both coasted to victory in their semi-finals on Friday night, though Hodgkinson looked to be working a tad harder than Mu, who will have a boisterous home crowd on her side tonight as she tries to add the world title to her Olympic gold. Could that support be a factor?

‘No, I think it’ll just make it all the sweeter if I manage to come out on top,’ said Hodgkinson with a laugh.

The Briton’s form this year has been up and down. She was ruled out of the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade on the eve of the event with a thigh injury but had two impressive wins on the Diamond League circuit, in Eugene and Oslo, before being beaten in Stockholm by Kenya’s Mary Moraa, who is also a major threat tonight.

But regardless of what happens on the circuit, races like this evening’s are what truly matters — what Hodgkinson lives for.

‘Championships is where I belong, it’s a really good opportunity to put everything out there and see what you can do,’ she said.

The keys to the race? ‘Composure and confidence,’ she said. ‘We’ve all got it in that final so it’s about who can keep the most calm and back their own abilities.’

Hodgkinson said she had taken huge inspiration from fellow Brit Jake Wightman’s 1500m gold earlier in the week, saying she was ‘delighted for him — he is a great guy and a great athlete.’

Hodgkinson knows the showdown is being billed as a head-to-head with Mu, the overwhelming favourite, but she is also wary of others in the field, such as world indoor champion Ajee Wilson, Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji and fast-finishing American Raevyn Rogers.

‘I can’t be complacent, there are a lot of very strong athletes,’ she said. ‘I’m happy, healthy and I’m ready.’