Sports
GREAT Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson dominated the Olympic 800m final to win gold in Paris and end her wait for a global title.
The 22-year-old had finished second at successive World Championships after claiming a stunning silver on her Olympic debut in Tokyo as a teenager in 2021.
But Hodgkinson put that series of near-misses on the sport’s biggest stages behind her as she took charge of the final and would not relent as Kenyan rival Mary Moraa threatened to pass on the outside.
Crossing the line in one minute 56.72 seconds, Hodgkinson could not hide her emotion as the magnitude of her achievement struck, instinctively punching the air in delight and later donning a crown as she celebrated with the crowd.
Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.15) won silver while world champion Moraa (1:57.42) had to settle for third at the Stade de France, as Hodgkinson became the third British woman to win the title – and first since Kelly Holmes in Athens 20 years ago.
Hodgkinson, already a four-time European champion in as many years as a professional, posed for photos and signed autographs as she savoured the golden moment she has long dreamed of.
“I think [stepping on the podium] is when it will sink in and you will see some real emotion from me,” Hodgkinson said.
“I have worked really hard for the last year and I think you can see how much it meant to me when I crossed the line. I can’t believe I have finally done it!”
This was Great Britain’s first Olympic track title since Mo Farah won the 5,000m and 10,000m double at Rio 2016.
Hodgkinson, meanwhile, is only the 10th British woman to win athletics gold at a Games.
It had felt a case of when, not if, Hodgkinson would take her place at the pinnacle of the sport ever since she celebrated Olympic silver aged just 19 on her global championship debut in Tokyo.
Denied by Athing Mu on that occasion, and again by the American – by just 0.08 seconds – at the 2022 World Championships, it was Moraa who got the better of Hodgkinson at last year’s Worlds in Budapest to prolong her wait for one of the sport’s major prizes.
She has broken her duck – at last.
The emotion could be seen on Hodgkinson’s face metres from the finish. With victory confirmed, three years of dedication and dreaming came pouring out.
The Briton was favourite for gold given she is the fastest woman in the world this year – running a full second quicker than anyone else – and her chances of victory were further increased by Mu’s absence.
A fall at the US trials cost the Olympic champion the chance to defend her crown and it was world champion Moraa who looked to provide the main obstacle to gold in Paris.
But this time the Briton would not be denied.
Hodgkinson took charge of the race after 300m, led at the bell, and from there she refused to be moved – even when Moraa attempted to pull alongside her.
After a final surge for gold she glanced up at the big screen to confirm nobody had followed, her breakthrough success sealed with a roar of triumph and relief.
“To do it here, where better? The audience was incredible. It felt like a home crowd to me, so yes I am super, super happy,” Hodgkinson said.
“It could have been ran in any way. I wanted to be up near the front, probably quicker than I was at the bell.
“I just wanted to save a bit for the last 100m. I trusted in myself. I could feel Mary [Moraa] pushing me on the back straight but [I had the] composure and we got to the line first this time.”
It is still early in her career, but Hodgkinson is hungry to establish herself as one of the greatest British athletes of all time.
And – now she has the world-beating gold she so desperately desired – it is difficult not to get excited about where she will go from here.
– BBCSport
A.I
July 6, 2024
Tags: Keely Hodgkinson Mary Moraa
