Her coach Trevor Painter talks by way of the 12 races that formed Hodgkinson’s 2024, resulting in the promised land of Olympic glory
For Keely Hodgkinson, the start of the athletics 12 months usually revolves across the indoor season. Her teaching staff of Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows like to make use of it to “break the winter monotony” and “work much more on depth and pace”.
With the most important summer time of her life on the horizon, nevertheless, accidents to the 22-year-old’s knee and hamstring closed the door on the possibility to compete in entrance of a house crowd on the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
It was one of some hurdles that wanted to be cleared on the street to Paris, the place all the things was in the end alright on the evening for the 800m star who emulated one in every of her heroes, Kelly Holmes, by turning into Olympic champion over the two-lap distance.
It’s a efficiency that did a lot to earn her your vote as British Feminine Athlete of the 12 months within the 2024 AW Readers’ Awards however there have been different highlights and necessary landmarks alongside the way in which throughout a marketing campaign that noticed Hodgkinson race 12 instances in whole, successful each 800m she contested.
Painter sat down to speak by way of the summer time, race by race, and the way every performed its half in laying the trail to gold.
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
Savona Worldwide Assembly (Might 15)
400m – 51.61
“It was the primary time since 2020 that Keely hadn’t carried out an indoor season and, if we’d had a pair extra weeks, we’d have been in Glasgow,” says Painter. “However should you get an harm you’ve obtained to be affected person and, come Might, we knew she was wholesome and able to go.
“Due to the harm restrictions, we couldn’t do any of the actually quick stuff and needed to simply park that for some time. It gave us a chance to work loads deeper on facets like power and conditioning.
“We got here into the summer time with a a lot larger base and fortunately the pace was nonetheless there as a result of she opened the 12 months with a 400m PB, so we will need to have carried out one thing proper.
“She doesn’t get many alternatives to run 400m so that you simply pray for a quick monitor and good climate however, certain sufficient, simply because the athletes went to the blocks, it began to rain. It was like: ‘Are you critical?’ Keely got here second and the athlete that gained the race, Sharlene Mawdsley, went on to run some actually quick instances. Keely wasn’t too far behind her so, if she’d had extra alternatives at 400m, I really feel she’d have run sub-51 throughout the summer time.”
Keely Hodgkinson at Prefontaine Traditional (Getty)
Prefontaine Traditional, Eugene (Might 25)
800m – 1:55.78
“I used to be anticipating Keely to run 1:55. Coaching was going properly and it was nearly getting her again on the monitor, as a result of she hadn’t carried out an 800m since September the earlier 12 months. We mentioned: ‘Simply run the primary lap in 57.5. That’s most likely going to place you in fourth or fifth place, then decide to that final 300m and see what occurs’.
“It went completely. The athletes on the entrance went a bit too rapidly and Keely was sat a couple of second behind. She nailed that final 150m and ran away from them. Immediately, we knew that gold in Paris was on the playing cards. [Defending Olympic champion] Athing Mu was nonetheless ‘is she, isn’t she [running at the Olympics]? What web page is she on?’ however we knew [world champion] Mary Moraa had been a tough opponent to beat and Keely hadn’t fairly obtained it proper on a couple of events, so it was necessary to verify we conquered that.
“Mary had been successful the tactical races up to now however when Athing and Keely put the foot down, Mary can’t compete. She hasn’t damaged 1:56 on the finish of the day, whereas Keely and Athing have carried out it plenty of instances. We all know that if it’s a quick race from the gun then the chances are in our favour however tactically, if there are extra issues that come into play, we’ve obtained to verify we get the techniques proper. We did that there, in order that took the strain off Keely, and he or she may deal with the remainder of the summer time.
“She’s very intuitive. We by no means say: ‘That is what you’ve obtained to do in a race’ however she goes in there with a number of understanding of what would possibly occur after which it’s simply all the way down to her to select the suitable factor, to select the suitable story.
“One in all Keely’s largest strengths is her composure below strain and he or she thrives on it. You see lots of people go lacking relating to the race, whereas Keely lives for that gladiatorial expertise.”
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
European Championships, Rome (June 10, 11, 12)
800m – 2:02.46 (warmth), 1:58.07 (semi-final), 1:58.65 (remaining)
“Within the warmth she was simply chilling, after which within the semi-final she jogged 1:58. It was unbelievable how straightforward it was. She got here off the monitor and mentioned: ‘I feel I can entrance run a 1:55 with out a pacemaker.’ We mentioned: ‘Okay, that might be nice!’ However then, the following day, she wakened not feeling properly [sore throat, headache and cold symptoms] and it was then a battle to run. We didn’t even know she was going to run till they had been calling us into the decision room, and he or she mentioned: ‘I’m going to go for it’.
“For Keely it’s not about successful cash and incomes issues like that, it’s about titles, and he or she needs to complete with as many decorations to her title as potential. She wished to win that championship and he or she executed the ultimate rather well.”
Keely Hodgkinson in Manchester (Getty)
UK Championships, Manchester (June 29, 30)
400m – 52.06 (warmth), 52.22 (remaining)
“There have been some fairly respectable performances on the champs and it’s a fable concerning the north which you can’t run quick there. Manchester is usually chilly and moist, and that’s the place the issue lies with individuals coming to race there – they don’t get pleasure from it. We practice on that monitor very often, so it’s no downside to us.
“We had been hoping for a quicker time and to take that 400m PB down once more however Keely was nonetheless feeling a number of the after results of the sickness from Rome and working 52.06 within the warmth snookered her as a result of she ended up as a quickest qualifier and with lane one for the ultimate. It’s not possible to run quick over 400m in lane one and also you’ve obtained no benefit in anyway.
“She wanted just a little luck however the thrice she’s carried out a 400m on the nationwide champs she’s had lane eight twice and lane one as soon as. It’s as if the 400m gods don’t need her to do it!”
FBK Video games, Hengelo (July 7)
800m – 1:57.36
“We had been hoping for an additional 1:55 and to make an announcement however, constructing as much as the race, the climate turned fairly unhealthy. It wasn’t excellent for working quick so Keely simply centered on successful the race and controlling it. Then it was on to London. That was the place we wished to actually make an announcement.”
Georgia Bell, Keely Hodgkinson and Jemma Reekie (Getty)
London Athletics Meet (July 20)
800m – 1:54.61 [British record]
“I’d spoken to Keely and mentioned: ‘That is the place you may win the gold, not in Paris. In the event you get your job carried out proper right here, and go sub 1:55 on this monitor, then everybody’s simply going to be letting you do what you need in Paris.’ Fortunately, it got here to life.
“She dedicated to the race, and I feel she went by way of in about 56.5 then round 58 for the second lap. It was good info for us, as a result of we’d been monitoring everybody all season, and anybody who had run 56 seconds for the primary lap didn’t break 60 on the second lap so, going into Paris, we knew that we may go 56 after which 58. Additionally the pacemaker went a bit too fast in London so Keely kind of did the entire work on her personal. We had been assured that that might be the story in Paris as properly.”
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
Paris Olympics (August 2, 4, 5)
800m – 1:59.31 (warmth), 1:56.86 (semi-final), 1:56.72 (remaining)
“Keely had wished to exit and placed on a present. She was nonetheless buoyed by the 1:54 in London, and he or she got here off the monitor that day saying she felt 1:53 was potential. In the event you’re going right into a championships feeling that you just’re in 1:53 form (the world report is 1:53.28), and all of the stats are backing that up, then you definately’re in a reasonably good place.
“So she wished to placed on a present within the remaining however myself and Jenny mentioned: ‘You don’t must run 1:53, let’s simply be sure that of the gold. If you wish to run 1:53 you’re going to need to run the primary lap in 55 seconds after which take care of that consequence however, should you simply wish to win the Olympics, then 1:56 or 1:55 will try this for you’.
“The nerve wracking factor was that, in that remaining, she went by way of 400m in 58! I noticed the clock and thought ‘oh, shit’ as a result of it simply opens the door to different individuals and provides them a sniff. If it had been 56 Keely would have been pulling away on the again straight and the final 200m would have been a procession. Sadly, we didn’t have that luxurious. We needed to wait till the final 80m, when she put the foot down, to have the ability to chill out.
“I’m usually actually chilled. I do know what form the athletes are in and I simply benefit from the second and attempt to bear in mind as a lot as I can. However, for this one, I used to be a multitude for 300m!”
Keely Hodgkinson and her dad and mom (Getty)
The following chapter…
“We’re very happy with Keely. To have the world in your fingers like that, and go in as a favorite the place everybody’s taking a look at you, is a tough factor to take care of, particularly on the Olympics. To carry all of it collectively at 22 years previous like she did is incredible.
“She wished to place an enormous time down on the finish of the season however she felt her hamstring just a little bit earlier than the ultimate after which went to Marbella together with her household for a couple of days after the Olympics so there was per week the place she didn’t have physio and wasn’t capable of do rehab. It induced just a little bit an excessive amount of hassle to repair in a brief area of time so we determined to close the season down then. There was no level in risking it.
“She would have cherished to have carried out the Diamond League Last and gained a 3rd one however we’ll simply have to attend till subsequent 12 months [for that]. With the timetable having modified and the World Championships being the very finish of the season, it means the race you do earlier than the championships is hopefully the place you’ll put your marker down and then you definately’re stepping into with a goal in your again. We simply must preserve her completely satisfied and wholesome and put her within the place to carry out in addition to she will be able to.”
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