Keely Hodgkinson explains race preparation satisfaction, eager to transform athletics.
Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson is satisfied with the preparations of the inaugural Keely Classic set for Birmingham on Saturday.
The 22-year-old said she is happy that the organisers of the event chose to name it after her, making it unique because she’s still active in athletics. She said most meets and events are normally named after individuals that have retired.
Even for eilte Olympians like Gabby Thomas, the pressures of track and filed can sometime get overwhelming and she has her own way of getting away from it.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Hodgkinson said: “My team mentioned it to me after Paris and I was like, “Oh, OK”.
“You don’t really see that very often, especially current athletes. A lot of meets that are named after people tend to be people of the past. So I think it’s quite cool to do something while I am still competing. ‘I’m happy that some of the athletes have backed it and are going to run, which is really exciting. Hopefully this is just the start.”
The suddening reality however is that Hodgkinson will watch the race as a mere spectator after suffering a setback on Thursday. Hodgkinson was set to headline her own meeting by going for the world indoor 800m record before she was forced to pull out with injury.
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At the same time, the two-time Diamond League 800m champion has challenged athletics bosses to embrace for the change that is coming into the sport. Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam is set to begin in April and Hodgkinson believes such initiatives will only make the sport to grow.
“We’re just hoping to bring some more fun to athletics, hopefully make it more of a show so people find it exciting to watch,” she reiterated.
“Sometimes change can be scary for some people, especially if you’ve been in the sport for a long time and it’s been a certain way the whole time. But I think change is a good thing.”
In the absence of Hodgkinson, Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell will headline the one-day event.
