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Keely Hodgkinson's life has typically changed following her gold medal win at the Paris Olympic Games and her coach has opened up about how the Briton manages to steam off from the outside life.
Keely Hodgkinson is now a celebrity and most people will be out to ask for selfies and autographs when they meet her either on the street or in the malls.
The Briton 800m star made headlines after outsmarting a strong field to claim the women’s 800m title at the Paris Olympic Games. In the race, Tsige Duguma and Mary Moraa finished second and third respectively.
With her life in the spotlight, Keely Hodgkinson might struggle to keep up with the pace but her training group has found a way to help her feel calm and at home anytime she is around them. When with her training mates, her coach and accomplished runner herself Jenny Meadows explained to Athletics Weekly that Keely Hodgkinson likes to maintain a low profile and make them feel as comfortable as they can.
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09:37 - 23.09.2024
Keely Hodgkinson's coach reveals why she had doubts about the Olympic champion making it to Paris
The women's 800m at the Paris Olympic Games would have witnessed a new champion being crowned as Keely Hodgkinson's coach has revealed why she had doubts about the 22-year-old being in the right state to compete at the Olympics.
“She wants to just be Keely at training. Training is her safe place. When she came along for that first session, I said to Trevor: ‘Do you think we should do a guard of honour or something when she walks in?’ and he said: ‘No, she’ll hate it’. She just wants Erin to tell her that she has nice nails,” Meadows said.
“It wasn’t until the end of the session that we found out she had her medal with her and she was all apologetic, like, ‘I didn’t want to presume you all wanted to see it’. Keely is a celebrity to some people but we don’t see it and she doesn’t see it. She doesn’t ever want to think that we would think of her as that. We’re her friends, we’re her training group and we’ve got to keep her on the ground.”
Charlie Hobson, a member of Hodgkinson’s training group, noted that it has been tricky adapting to the new normal of having an Olympic champion around them. He explained that during training, people would ask for photos and that’s when it would hit them that Keely Hodgkinson is actually an Olympic champion.
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20:50 - 20.09.2024
Inspired by Mary Moraa, Sarah Moraa now wants to beat achievements of her illustrious cousin
Sarah Moraa is now targeting much bigger accolades that are yet to even be achieved by her cousin Mary Moraa who has been her biggest inspiration and support system.
However, there is also a lot to learn from the world 800m bronze medallist who kept on fighting despite being an underdog going into many races.
“Sometimes we forget she’s famous. If we go to the track and there are a few kids around and they ask for a picture it’s like: ‘Oh yeah, I forgot you were famous’,” Hobson said.
“Her mental ability. She can put herself in dark places but still be confident that she’ll come through strongly at the end. I feel like this year she’s really thrived under the pressure. In the sessions before the Olympics she kept saying ‘pressure is a privilege’. It’s definitely weighed on her but I think it’s definitely helped her as well.”
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