KEELY HODGKINSON shocked the world three years ago when she won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Aged 19 then, it was her debut at a major outdoor event, and the 880m runner took the challenge in her stride.
Still just 22, she represents one of Team GB’s best chances at gold in Paris and will do battle with Athing Mu and Mary Moraa to win this year’s 800m.
Keely Hodgkinson, 22, was born in 2002 in Atherton, a town located near Wigan.
She hails from a running family, with her mother Rachel being a former member of athletic club Leigh Harriers, where Hodgkinson would go on to train.
Her father Dean had also run the London Marathon in the past.
Hodkinson soon showed an aptitude for sport, joining Leigh Harriers running club aged nine and also swam for the Howe Bridge Aces.
Aged 10, she made an impression at the British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships in London.
She finished second in the 500m running event and eighth in the swimming 50m – it was after this that her father encouraged her to focus full-time on running.
In 2015, when Hodgkinson was just 13, she had surgery to remove a tumour in her ear which threatened to disrupt her running career.
The surgery was successful, but left her 95 per cent deaf in the affected ear – while recovering she was unable to train for a significant period of time.
Once her recovery was complete, she wasted no time in dominating youth events.
Aged 16 she won the England U18 and U20 800m, she also won the European U18 800m gold – breaking the championship record in the process.
By 2019, Hodgkinson had transitioned from indoor to outdoor events and won the British outdoor title aged 18 – becoming the youngest to ever do so.
Her senior breakthrough came in 2021 after athletic had been affected by Covid postponements.
She became the youngest ever 800m European Indoor champion that year before building towards the Olympics.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Hodgkinson won a shock silver medal for Britain, beating Kelly Holmes‘ British record which had stood for 26 years.
She’s since gone on to win two golds at the Diamond League, two golds at the European Championships and two golds at the European Indoor Championships – raising hopes that she could go one better in Paris.
After the Olympics, Hodgkinson spoke out about how she experienced depression after achieving her medal dream.
She told Team GB: “I’ve shown how mentally strong I can be. After Tokyo, the Olympic comedown is a real thing. That was quite tough, being so young and having so many aspects of my life change. I didn’t go to university anymore, I went full-time pro. I moved out, got my own place, all these changes you go through anyway.
“And then you think I’ve got to do what I did last year again, for a whole year, finding that motivation. I now know this time around that I’ll be better equipped to handle that. I also want to enjoy it, I’m back to really enjoying it again. If I get to that final and give it my all, I’ll be happy.
“After Tokyo, there was no pressure on me. The only thing I didn’t want was to be a one hit wonder, who just got it right then.
“I wanted to prove not just to myself but to everyone else that I could be a multiple medallist. Here we are, three years later, with a lot more medals so it’s good fun!”
Prior to her Olympic breakthrough, Hodgkinson was studying criminology at Leeds Beckett – she actually took a ‘gap year’ to compete at Tokyo but has since become a full time athlete.
Hodgkinson’s 2021 silver medal broke the British 800m held by Dame Kelly Holmes since 1995.
Hodgkinson ran a time of 1:55.88, beating Holmes’ 1:56.21.
She also shaved two seconds off her own personal best in the process.
Yes, Keely Hodgkinson will be at the Paris Olympics.
She will be representing Great Britain and is currently ranked no1 in the world.
Her main rivals are American Athing Mu and Kenyan Mary Moraa – both of whom she competes with rarely.
The first round of the women’s 800m is on August, 2.
Rounds will continue every day until the final on the fifth of August.
