The BBC’s Sports activities Persona of the 12 months has lengthy divided opinion – can it in point of fact be about persona when Nigel Mansell has gained it two times? However alternatively nebulous the standards for profitable, Keely Hodgkinson ticked each conceivable field in 2024. She was once a cold-blooded killer at the observe, a loose spirit off it: Killing Eve’s Villanelle in tremendous spikes.
What makes Hodgkinson so attention-grabbing – except for her immense skill – is that she does issues on her personal phrases. The Olympic Video games in Paris was once no other. Within the British prep camp she walked round with Chanel sun shades and a Louis Vuitton purse. A number of occasions personnel identified that it was once now not professional GB equipment, however she simply smiled and carried on.
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Keely Hodgkinson delights in profitable BBC Sports activities Persona of the 12 months 2024 award – video
Her self belief manifested itself otherwise within the 800m ultimate in Paris. Typical knowledge advised that the quicker the race, the better her probability of victory. As an alternative Hodgkinson took the lead after 300m and most effective slowly wound it up, prior to turning at the turbochargers down the house directly.
It was once a second of glory and candy dominance. The truth that she had gained silver thrice in primary championships – the Olympics in 2021 and the worlds in 2022 and 2023 – made the step to the best step of the rostrum the entire sweeter.
Victory in Paris despatched her into wearing stratosphere, however it was once a call for participation she won in a while afterwards that made her realise she was once now in a unique orbit. It got here from 90-year-old Giorgio Armani, who invited her to Milan type week with a number of different most sensible Olympians. Whilst there, he pinched her cheek then delivered a one-word exclamation: “Bella.”
In Paris, in the meantime, she was once about to stroll out to gather her gold medal when a British professional noticed that she was once now not dressed in the right kind emblem of running shoes. She had no time to modify and ended up depending at the quickwittedness of UK Athletics’ press officer, Liz Birchall, who took the footwear off her personal toes to assist her.
Hodgkinson’s timekeeping has transform a operating shaggy dog story inside her group. Alternatively Trevor Painter, who along his spouse Jenny Meadows coaches her, insists that such behaviour is simply part of who she is.
“We have a saying that 15 mins is OK,” he says. “Sometimes it’s 20 to 25 and she just strolls in smiling: ‘Whatever.’ It’s something I’m not too bothered about because if we put her in a box and tell her you’ve got to conform, she’ll not be the person we saw run 1min 54sec. That kind of free-spirited nature makes her who she is.”
Keely Hodgkinson crosses the road in Paris to transform Olympic 800m champion. {Photograph}: Tom Jenkins/The Father or mother
However in relation to her occupation, Hodgkinson has the uncanny skill to flick the transfer. Even if she was once now not at her best possible in 2024 she was once in a position to ship. On the Eu Championships in Rome in June, she was once in her unwell mattress all day prior to the 800m ultimate and suggested by way of the group physician to not run. But she one way or the other gritted her technique to gold.
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Her willingness to rise up for herself has lengthy been obtrusive. After profitable a surprising silver within the Tokyo Video games as a young person, Piers Morgan sneeringly advised on X that medal shouldn’t be celebrated as a result of she had misplaced. For excellent measure he additionally spelt her title ‘Keeley’. Hodgkinson’s good one-word reaction? “Keely*”
There was adversity alongside the best way as neatly. In her early teenagers Hodgkinson was once not able to run in any respect because of a non-cancerous tumour which has left her virtually deaf in a single ear. “It had grown for 10 years and no one had spotted it,” she mentioned. “And it was so close to my nervous system that I could have had facial palsy if it had touched the nerve. So it was a bit risky getting it out.”
Certainly, if issues had became out otherwise in every other course, Hodgkinson may have ended up as a significantly excellent swimmer as a substitute. It was once her dad, Dean, who persuaded her to modify sports activities, even supposing it took him some time to get her to modify her thoughts. “I was just stubborn,” she admitted.
Keely Hodgkinson seems to be on the trophy along presenters Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Clare Balding at Tuesday’s Sports activities Persona of the 12 months Awards. {Photograph}: David Davies/PA
Athletics can be mightily thankful that she listened. Between 1954 and 2004, observe and box gained the Spoty award 17 occasions, 11 occasions greater than the following best possible game, Method One. However till Tuesday evening there had most effective been one winner in athletics since then: Mo Farah in 2017.
In 2024 Hodgkinson flipped the script. Subsequent yr, she’s going to try to rip up the sector document books. Historical past suggests it might be unwise to guess towards her.