Keely Hodgkinson has reflected on the challenges of maintaining her Olympic champion status.
Keely Hodgkinson has opened up about the one major challenge she has faced since winning the Olympic gold medal in the 800m.
At the Paris Olympic Games, Hodgkinson outsmarted very strong women including reigning world champion Mary Moraa to claim top honours in the two-lap race.
The Briton star clocked an impressive 1:56.72 ahead of Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma and Mary Moraa who came in second and third in respective times of 1:57.15 and 1:57.42.
Apart from her new-found fame that she has seemingly found a way to work around, Keely Hodgkinson revealed that the greatest challenge is learning how to stay on top after winning the Olympic gold medal.
She revealed that winning the Olympic gold was not an easy thing but what’s even harder is learning how to maintain her position as one of the best, especially with the rise of new talent every day.
“It’s hard to get to the top but it’s really hard, as I’m learning, to try to maintain it and maintain that mindset and that place I took myself to get Olympic gold and keep carrying that on,” she revealed in an interview with ITV.
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The American sprinter has displayed a rare soft side to her larger than life persona while asking for direction, wisdom and inspiration.
Keely Hodgkinson also spoke about her new venture, Keely Classic, an indoor athletics event scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
She revealed that making that bold decision came from a place of knowing that track and field needs a little bit of evolution and many people are usually afraid of taking that chance.
Keely Hodgkinson further explained that she does not want the weight of carrying the sport on her back but hopes that her new venture will attract more people to embrace change.
“It needs to be modernised a little bit, but I do think change scares a lot of people. People ask for change and then they get it and they’re not sure, so hopefully the Keely Classic can bring some excitement and people enjoy watching,” she revealed.
“I’m not going to say it is my job to carry the sport in the UK, we have a lot of amazing athletes apart as well as myself.
“I compete all the time, from January to September and I don’t think the wider public knows about that, and hopefully we can bring something a little different with the Keely Classic.”
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The American sprint queen has revealed when and where her first race will be, putting rivals Shericka Jackson and Elain Thompson-Herah on alert.
As she looks to continue creating a legacy for herself, Keely Hodgkinson is aware of the tough challenges that await her but is confident in her abilities to tackle things as they come.
This season, she will be chasing her first gold medal at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan after winning silver in Eugene and Budapest. She is also aware that much is expected of her, especially after winning the Olympic title in Paris, France.
