Keely Hodgkinson has been topped BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months.
After a historic season, which culminated with an Olympic 800m gold medal in Paris, Hodgkinson grew to become the primary individual from athletics since Mo Farah in 2017 to safe the award.
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler, who received Younger Sports activities Character of the 12 months, was second and England’s highest ever check run-scorer Joe Root positioned third.
“This yr has been completely unimaginable for me,” Hodgkinson stated. “I’ve achieved all the pieces I got down to do on the out of doors observe, which is kind of uncommon to occur. I’m so grateful to be on this place.”
Hodgkinson’s triumph in Salford isn’t stunning.
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
Not solely did the 22-year-old stand on the highest of the Olympic 800m podium – becoming a member of Kelly Holmes (2004) and Ann Packer (1964) as simply the third British feminine champion over two laps on the Video games – however she went unbeaten within the distance all season.
Outdoors of that golden second on the Stade de France, Hodgkinson additionally lowered her personal British 800m report with a scintillating 1:54.61 on the London Diamond League.
In entrance of a packed partisan crowd, Hodgkinson led a British 1-2-3 over two laps, with Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell in second and third respectively.
That point put Hodgkinson sixth on the worldwide all-time listing within the 800m and there at the moment are hopes that she might get close to Jarmila Kratochvílová’s world report – the oldest within the sport – of 1:53.28 from 1983.
Georgia Bell, Keely Hodgkinson and Jemma Reekie (Getty)
Hodgkinson additionally retained her European 800m title with a gutsy run on the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Defying sickness, the Brit clocked 1:58.65 to see off the problem from Slovakia’s Gabriela Gajanová and France’s Anaïs Bourgoin.
That drive and willpower to succeed towards the chances makes Hodgkinson a worthy winner of BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months.
Athletics has a wealthy historical past within the occasion and Hodgkinson is now the nineteenth individual from athletics to win the award within the 71-year historical past of the occasion.
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
“One of many best issues about tonight is representing observe and subject and placing out sport on the market,” she informed AW on the purple carpet. “It’s not nearly me however the entire athletes within the sport.
“I’ve dared to dream large. I grew up watching the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill and she or he actually impressed me. London 2012 was the explanation I acquired again into the game.
“Did I feel all of this could occur so quickly? No. Simply to be on this place now’s a privilege and hopefully I’ve a profession with many extra medals and data.”
“Every silver medal that I had has meant one thing completely different. Tokyo was clearly a whirlwind after which one in Oregon, I used to be like ‘okay, we’ve closed the hole’. Budapest, I used to be sad with that one. I needed to win and perhaps made a number of errors trying again. That basically gave me that further enhance this yr to go for it and also you’ve seen that in my performances.”
Jenny Meadows with Trevor Painter and Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
Hodgkinson’s coaches Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows have been topped BBC Sports activities Character Coaches of the 12 months, following within the footsteps of the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola.
The pair coached Hodgkinson, Georgia Bell and Lewis Davey to respective Olympic 800m gold, 1500m bronze and 4x400m bronze medals in Paris.
Mondo Duplantis additionally received the BBC Sports activities Character World Sport Star of the 12 months, changing into the primary individual from athletics to say the award since Eliud Kipchoge in 2019.
“I’m so honoured to win this award,” he informed the BBC. “I do know it means loads and I’m in nice firm with the among the greatest legends within the historical past of sport.”
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