Keely Hodgkinson aims to break new ground in her athletics career as we delve into the life of the Olympic champion
Keely Hodgkinson is targeting dominance in the 400m at the UK Athletics Championship. The competition gets underway on Saturday at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, with the 24-year-old chasing a sub-50-second time in the distance following her personal best at the Rome Diamond League earlier this month.
The reigning Olympic champion in the 800m is scheduled to compete at her preferred distance but confessed that testing herself over 400m presents an intriguing challenge. She said: “The 400m, for me, is a bit of fun as well as something different.
“I’ve really thrown myself in the deep end and I’m looking forward to challenging myself in that environment. I’ve always considered myself a 400-800-type athlete. I don’t think I’ve shown all my potential in the and I got a bit of a glimpse of what I could do at the Indoor Championships, so I’m really excited to bring that outdoors.
“I’m still very much learning the event. I am still not quite sure how to bring it.” With the prospect of triumphing in two events ahead of her, we examine Hodgkinson’s life beyond the track.
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Why did Keely Hogdkinson break up with her boyfriend?
The Team GB sensation enjoyed a remarkable 2024 which featured two Olympic medals, including gold in the 800m, before being crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year. However, she suffered heartache in her personal life at the start of the year after disclosing that her three-year relationship with a fellow athlete had ended owing to long-distance difficulties.
“He lived in Texas for a bit, then in Italy, then London. There was always a distance and, because I do what I do and put that first, we could go weeks, months and not see each other,” she told The Times in October 2024. “I’m not really interested in dating right now. I’ve never been on the apps. I like meeting people in real life.”
How does Keely Hogkinson know Ella Toone?
Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley can count not only Hodgkinson among its notable former pupils, but also England and Manchester United star Ella Toone. Despite the footballer being two years older than the athlete, the pair forged a strong friendship.
Speaking about their relationship in 2022, Hodgkinson said: “We are just two young girls living their dreams. Ella and I went to school together. She was two years older but somehow we ended up getting on really well.
“I was always referred to as the ‘mini Ella’ growing up at school. So we kept in touch from that and she was in Tokyo last year as well. We are just two young girls living their dreams.”
What did Seb Coe say about Keely Hodgkinson?
World Athletics president and Team GB legend Seb Coe has had a front-row seat to witness Hodgkinson’s brilliance and had nothing but glowing words to say about her personality away from the sport, after running into her while she was celebrating her birthday.
Speaking on the UNTAPPED podcast, Coe heaped praise on the 24-year-old’s down-to-earth nature, saying: “What I love about Keely is she is probably the most, forget athletics, she’s probably the most authentic person I currently know.
“What you see with Keely is what you get. She is very funny, she’s totally driven, but she puts things in perspective. I was up in Manchester not that long ago and I bumped into her one night going into a restaurant.
“I was on my way out. I’d sort of done the early shift and she turned up and it was her birthday. It was a couple of weeks… I mean she’d only just broken the indoor world record. She was only literally a few days away from destroying the field and winning her world indoor title and she was just out celebrating her birthday.
“She’s just completely normal, but she is incredibly well talented. She’s got a great coaching team around her. I’m probably going to lose whatever fan base I’ve got left in the south of England, but she’s absolutely rooted to the north of England and that for me counts for a lot in life.”
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