Keely Hodgkinson is, without a doubt, one of the biggest stars of Team GB at this year’s Paris Olympics. After a series of silver medals throughout her career, the breathtakingly fast 800m runner from Manchester finally took home gold this year.
Here’s a little more about the athlete’s fascinating journey so far.
Keely Hodgkinson grew up near Manchester
Hodgkinson was born in 2002 and grew up in Atherton, a small town near Manchester.
In high school, she actually became friends with another Mancunian athlete: Manchester United’s Ella Toone.
“We are just two young girls living their dreams. Ella and I went to school together,” Hodgkinson told the Mirror, who met the footballer in high school. “She was two years older but somehow we ended up getting on really well. I was referred to as the ‘mini Ella’ so we always kept in touch.”
The pair remain friends and Hodgkinson hopes that one day, she’ll be just as recognised in Manchester as her friend is.
“There’s a big picture of [Ella’s] face at Old Trafford,” Hodgkinson told The Guardian. “It’s massive! I sent it to her the other day. It’s amazing to watch in one year how much women’s football has come on.” She added that she’d love to see her own face plastered up around the city. “That would be nice,” she said. “That would be getting the same recognition, wouldn’t it?”
Adam Pretty
Keely Hodgkinson discovered running by chance
While some athletes grow up on the track, Hodgkinson didn’t discover her love of running until she was a little older. In fact, she was more concerned with swimming.
“I competed for my school in swimming and I thought I was really good,” she told The Guardian in 2021. “But me and my dad would always have the same argument. He’d tell me that I was a better runner, and I’d get really offended and be like, ‘Oh so you think I’m a bad swimmer,’ even though he wasn’t even saying that. I was just stubborn. But eventually I went down to my local club and started to gravitate towards athletics.”