Keely Hodgkinson, the 800m specialist from Great Britain, has claimed a phenomenal silver medal in the 800m at the Olympics. The 19-year old rising star has also managed to smash Kelly Holmes’ British record with her time set at the Tokyo Olympics. Hodgkinson, also known as ‘The Hodge’, clocked 1 minute 55.88 seconds to finish the race in second place, while Athing Mu finished the race in first place for the USA.
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Keely Hodgkinson Breaks Records
The 19-year old from Great Britain also set a new national record during the 800m race, smashing the 1 minute 56.21 seconds that was set by double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes back in 1995. Hodgkinson informed BookiePro reporters that the race was wide open, and she wanted to give it her all during the race. She was extremely happy with the result at the end.
She continued by saying that Kelly Holmes was a legend in the sport and Hodgkinson looked up to her since she started running. She has also spoken to the double Olympic champion in the last few days and stated that she’s a lovely person. She also informed BookiePro reporters that she doesn’t have words to explain the achievement and that it means so much to her. She went on to thank everyone who has supported her at the Olympics and is grateful for all the messages she’s received in the last couple of days.
Hodgkinson also mentioned that if the Olympics took place in 2020, she wouldn’t have competed in Tokyo. Thankfully, with an extra 12 months to train, she had the time to grow and compete with the other girls on the track.
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From Unknown to Podium
Jemma Reekie, the Scottish middle-distance runner, finished in fourth position, even though she set a new personal best with a time of 1 minute 56.90 seconds. She almost finished in third position before Raevyn Rogers caught up to take the bronze medal for the USA. Alex Belle, the 28-year old runner from Great Britain, also produced a personal best time of 1 minute 55.66 seconds to finish the race in seventh position.
Hodgkinson is currently studying criminology at the prestigious Leeds Beckett University and has gone from an unknown runner to a podium star at the Tokyo Olympics. In January 2021, she ran a time of 1 minute 56.03 seconds in Vienna, becoming the fastest woman in the 800m under the age of 20. In February, she won the 800m in Torun, becoming the youngest British European indoor female champion in the process.
She was never funded by British Athletics. However, she was sponsored by Barrie Wells, a philanthropist and millionaire businessman, who previously funded 18 athletes, including Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis-Hill, to the 2012 London Olympics. Wells had promised Hodgkinson that she could drive an Aston Martin if she was able to make it to the final. There’s no doubt that she’s looking forward to this when she eventually goes back home.
