Keely Hodgkinson crossed the line and for the first time last night didn’t know what to do. She looked up at the board, just to check, then she glanced up again, just to make sure. What she saw made her features wobble: at last, Hodgkinson had won gold, and Great Britain’s latest athletics star had her crowning moment at the Olympics.
Hodgkinson came to Paris with the intent of upgrading the silver she claimed in Tokyo three years ago, of ending the cycle of second-place finishes at major competitions. As she won a stunning 800m gold with a smart race and gutsy, determined finish at the Stade de France, the 22-year-old delivered, the potential champion becoming the real thing.
And then Hodgkinson set off on a lap of pure joy, holding the British flag with her right arm and pumping the air with her fist. Somewhere she found a crown that matched the symbolic significance: in following Kelly Holmes to win 800m gold at the Olympics, she also secured Great Britain’s first gold medal on the track since Mo Farah’s double in 2016.
This story is from the August 06, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the August 06, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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