On Monday evening, the quickest 800m girl on the earth this yr Nice Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson persisted her improbable season at the international’s largest degree, taking gold on the Paris Olympics in dominant type. Hodgkinson broke her silver-medal curse within the girls’s 800m last with a superbly completed efficiency, clocking 1:56.72 with two even 58-second lap splits.
Hodgkinson mentioned within the post-race press convention that she felt relieved to after all get her palms on gold. “I sought after this second for a very long time—for the final 3 years, in truth,” mentioned Hodgkinson. “It hasn’t sunk in but, however I consider it’ll in a couple of days.”
Hodgkinson’s silver medal assortment had grown a little bit too in depth for her liking; at simply 19, she took silver in the back of Athing Mu of the U.S. on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and fell simply in need of the win at each the 2022 and 2023 International Championships in the back of Mu and Kenya’s Mary Moraa, respectively. Within the reigning Olympic champion’s absence, Hodgkinson battled immense drive because the transparent favorite getting into the contest in Paris. In her semi-final, she showcased her skills and self belief by way of simply cruising to win her warmth with the quickest time within the spherical, 1:56.84.
Prior to now yr, Hodgkinson’s coaching has extra intently resembled that of a sprinter than a middle-distance runner–which plainly, has labored. In July, the 22-year-old set a brand new British file of one:54.61 on the London Diamond League, changing into the sixth-fastest girl in historical past over the 800m self-discipline.
Hodgkinson’s earlier second-place place used to be claimed by way of Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, who stunned the arena by way of beating the reigning international champion, Moraa, in a non-public perfect time of one:57.15; Moraa took bronze in 1:57.42.
__________________________________________________________________________
Athletics occasions on the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games are happening from Aug. 1-11. These days’s protection is dropped at you by way of Canadian Operating and New Steadiness Canada. Apply us on Twitter on Instagram for all issues Group Canada and up-to-date unique information and content material.
