KEELY HODGKINSON broke down in tears as she received her gold medal.
The Team GB star won the 800m final last night and was overcome with emotion on the podium.
There are happy, happy tears as Keely Hodgkinson receives her gold medal
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 6, 2024#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/B9UXMWDu4I
Hodgkinson, 22, stormed to victory at the Paris Olympics with a time of 1:56.72.
She could be seen crying as the national anthem was played with the medal around her neck.
Hodgkinson had to wipe tears away from her eyes and take a couple of deep breaths to compose herself.
She spoke to the BBC afterwards and admitted that she could only sleep for less than two hours last night.
She said: “The support has been incredible, the medal is so pretty
“Tears? Yes, I waited so long to hear the national anthem on the podium, it really meant a lot
“I had about 90 minutes sleep. When I crash I will crash hard.”
Fans were full of pride for her as they reacted to the moment on social media.
One said: “Proud lady.”
A second posted: “She really deserves a standing ovation.”
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A third commented: ” A round of applause for her.”
A fourth wrote: “True emotions of tears.”
Another added: “Those are happy tears.”
Hodgkinson has had a difficult journey to the top as she was temporarily unable to walk and lost hearing in one eye due to a tumour in her skull that grew close to her spine.
And she nearly pulled out of sport altogether during her teens and battled a crippling “post-Olympics comedown” that left her so depressed she couldn’t get out of bed.
Since last night’s win, Keely’s odds of becoming BBC Sports Personality of the Year have been slashed from 5/2 to 4/7 and according to culture and brand expert Nick Ede she will be flooded with offers.
