by Newly made Member of the Order of the British Empire Keely Hodgkinson has only begun to truly embrace her own significant impact after winning Olympic gold in Paris, her coaches say.
The 22-year-old capped off a glittering 2024 by winning Sports Personality of the Year in December, and kickstarter 2025 with inclusion on the New Year’s Honors List for her services to athletics.
Hodgkinson, then 19, collected 800 meters of silver at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics three years ago, but found his life forever after upgrading at the Stade de France in August.
Jenny Meadows, who alongside husband Trevor Painter was named Coach of the Year winner, told the PA news agency: ‘Every time someone said to her before win the gold medal”, you are a role model, my young daughter looks at you, etc., she is so nice that she doesn’t see herself that way. But now I think she’s thinking, ‘OK, now I’ve won an Olympic gold, so I understand that.’
“And she always says, ‘It’s so strange, the difference between silver and gold.’ And obviously it was an Olympics, it’s the biggest stage, but I think she owns it, in a very beautiful and humble way. »
“The values are very similar to ours, in that it’s about humility, it’s about hard work (and) it’s about having fun,” said Painter, who added: “I feel like since gold we have the real Keely, because there was all this pressure and expectation put on (her) at a very young age, and she had a hard time coping to all this.
“But she’s out of that phase now, and now she’s an Olympic champion. She’s back to that stupid girl we’ve always known. She loves to laugh, a joke, and she is ready to roll up her sleeves and work hard. “
Hodgkinson’s season ended prematurely after picking up a minor injury after the Paris.
She plans to mark her return to competition with an 800 meter world record attempt in February at her own newly launched event, the ‘Keely Klassic’, on February 15 in Birmingham.
In September, the reigning world medalist will seek her first world title when she travels to the world championships in Tokyo.
Commenting on his latest accolade, Hodgkinson said: “It’s so incredible to be recognized and to have received this award. This year has been incredibly special for so many reasons and it’s such a lovely surprise to have been honored in this way. Bring on 2025.”
World Athletics president Lord Coe said last month that “real” Hodgkinson had already reached the ranks of British greats.
Her triumph in 1:56.72 made her the third Briton to win the Olympic 800 meters title after Ann Packer – who was also made MBE – in 1964 and Dame Kelly Holmes in 2004.
Britain’s only athletics gold in Paris was the ultimate win for an athlete who bounced back from an injury last winter that forced her to lose 10 valuable weeks of training.
Hodgkinson battled illness to defend her title at the European Championships in April, then lowered her own British 800 meters record with a 1:54:61 at the London Diamond League in July – making her the sixth woman the fastest in the history of its Signature Distance.
