Keely Hodgkinson hopes she has kicked off an athletics medal rush after winning Team GB’s first Olympics track gold since 2016.
The 22-year-old will collect her medal on Tuesday night after storming to victory in the Stade de France in the women’s 800m final.
It’s a career high after adding to the silver won at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
“It’s so tough when we train six days a week, multiple times a day, all the time to get here,” Hodgkinson told Sky News.
“And it’s not always guaranteed that it’s going to go well and that is the gamble you take in sport.
“That’s also why people love and hate it. It’s part of it.
“It gives you that emotion that not many things in life can.
“And I think that’s what moments like why yesterday is what really keeps you going. And it’s the beauty of track and field.”
Hodgkinson won on the day Team GB crossed the 40-medals threshold at Paris 2024 – and won its first on the track.
“We’ve got some crazy talent in British athletics right now and we’re going to see another one tonight with Josh (Kerr in the 1,500m),” she said.
“And I just hope it’s great things. And I’m really happy to kick off that golden moment.”
And the athlete from Atherton near Wigan was helped by strong support in the stadium. Outside of France, the most tickets sold for Paris 2024 were to British fans.
Read more:
Boxing press conference turned into shambles
Chaos at Olympic football match
In an interview at Team GB house, Hodgkinson said: “I was just so focussed on just getting to that line, and I knew I’d be strong in the last hundred.
“The stadium was incredible – the crowd was awesome. I felt like it was a home champs for me. So it was just great to experience.
“So many GB flags. The crowd was incredible. And I saw people I knew in every corner, so many friends and family. They’ve come out here, so really special.”
It has been a challenging year for Hodgkinson – first overcoming illness to win gold at the European Athletics Championships in June.
“I got ill in Rome and then I’ve been injured but things like that happen,” Hodgkinson said.
“It’s very rare as an athlete that you get a year where everything was perfect and if everything was perfect, I’d be slightly worried something was going to go wrong at some point.
“So I’m glad I persevered through that, and I committed and trusted the process.”
