Keely Hodgkinson, who has disclosed how the London 2012 heptathlon altered her life, has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Jessica Ennis-Hill as one of the greatest British athletes of all time.
At just ten years old, Hodgkinson had already demonstrated great potential as a versatile athlete, combining cross-country running with a brief foray into track. However, in the early months of 2012, she shifted her attention to swimming.
“I was doing okay, but I just didn’t really want to go training. I just fell out of love with it [athletics] – I didn’t like it for a while,” she adds. “I was swimming a lot when I watched Jess compete in 2012.” She seemed to be the golden girl everywhere, and it gave me the motivation I needed to return and pursue the heptathlon. I did try my hand at javelin. But after that, I decided to stick to the 800 meters.
It was a decision that, in six years, saw her win the European under-20 championship and, in nine years, saw her place a silver medal around her neck on the Olympic podium in Tokyo. Since then, Hodgkinson has set a new British record, won a fourth European title, and won two silver medals at the World Championship.
It makes sense, then, that she answers a query about whether or not we will see an even faster runner this summer with a smile, saying, “But I haven’t let you down so far, have I?” She confidently defeated Kenyan world champion Mary Moraa to start her outdoor season, and she thinks that a serious winter injury may have helped her prepare for the Olympics.
It was originally reported that Hodgkinson had an injury that prevented her from competing at the World Indoor Championships, but it has since come to light that she missed nine weeks of running in November and January due to tears in a knee ligament and tendon that stretched into her hamstring. She states, “I couldn’t do any cardio for the first two weeks because I couldn’t bend my knee.” After that, I was using the cross-trainer and my bike. It was excruciating. I needed to exercise patience. It was not the best situation. It was an odd mishap.
“My physio believes that during my training in Font Romeu, I twisted my ankle, causing damage that extended to my knee.” It tore as I continued to run on it, believing it to be something else. I had to have faith in the system.
“It turned out to be a godsend as it made it possible for me to spend consecutive weeks improving my stamina, strength, and quickness at the gym. I genuinely believe that this year will be, hopefully, the best one yet. I aim to push myself as much as possible in every race.
Athletics faces a significant barrier to break into the popular consciousness, especially outside of an Olympics, as the sporting landscape in this country has clearly changed in recent years.
Hodgkinson believes that World Athletics’ recent moves to establish gold medal reward money at the Olympics and to develop the lucrative new World Ultimate Championship event every two years are positive moves.
“It’s unlikely that anyone will refuse $50,000 [£39,400 for a gold],” she asserts. “I believe it’s excellent. Although the Olympic motto encourages amateur competition, it seems like competing at the Olympics these days automatically makes one a professional. You work as a professional. That applies to all sports.
“If you’re not taking home the biggest medals, athletics has a reputation for being really unstable. It ought to begin at the top and, presumably, flow downward. Hodgkinson then uses women’s football as an example. Hodgkinson attended the same Manchester school as England Lioness Ella Toone. “Since the Euros, they have contributed so much money; it is now helping the clubs and the grassroots.” I hope we can accomplish something comparable.
Although Hodgkinson is still only 22 years old, she has been joined on the Olympic 800m team by Phoebe Gill, a 17-year-old. Gill qualified for Paris in 1min 58.67 seconds at the British Championships, which also served as an Olympic selection race, after producing an incredible run of 1min 57.86 seconds earlier this year.
When Hodgkinson learned about the first of those two races, which was the best by a European under-18 and came within three seconds of her then-current British record, she claims her mouth fell open.
Hodgkinson responds, “She’s still so young—I wouldn’t put any pressure on her at all.” All she needs to do is take her time, avoid getting carried away, and carry on with her work. It is certainly effective. She ought to merely enjoy herself.
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