Keely Hodgkinson: How to spot an Olympic champion from a distance

How to spot an Olympic champion from a distance

Keely Hodgkinson: How to spot an Olympic champion from a distance

Abigael Wafula 19:30 - 23.11.2024

Trevor Painter has revealed key qualities about Keely Hodgkinson that would make fans fall in love even more.

Keely Hodgkinson’s coach Trevor Painter could already predict that the Briton star would win the Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games following her traits as she started the season.

His predictions did not go wrong as Hodgkinson went on to claim top honours in the women’s 800m at the Paris Olympic Games, beating Tsige Guguma and reigning world champion Mary Moraa to second and third places respectively.

Trevor Painter pointed out that it was not a guarantee that the world 800m bronze medallist would win a gold at the Stade de France but from the way she was carrying herself from the start of the season, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“You can never guarantee an Olympic medal, but a large thing is the mindset. An athlete who goes the extra yard and does a little bit more – that’s a good sign. Does the athlete turn up on time, are they attentive, do they want to learn? It all has to do with character traits,” Trevor Painter said.

Keely Hodgkinson’s success at the Paris Olympic Games and overall this season has made Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows gain a lot of traction. There have been a huge number of runners who have joined and others expressed interest in joining the M11 Track Club.

All these runners who are eager to join the track club are not only from the UK but also from other parts of the world. “There’s a Polish girl, a Danish girl, an Italian, two French, three Irish, an Argentinian, and a Mexican,” Trevor Painter said.

“The interest since Paris has gone through the roof, everyone wants to be in the group and we’ve had to turn some really good standard athletes down because it's full and we are at capacity.”

Keely Hodgkinson has brought a lot of pride to Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows and from her success, the only way is up, to winning more gold medals and breaking world records. Her training mates will be hoping to follow in her footsteps too.

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