Keely Hodgkinson: How the British star ended the wait for world gold at Paris 2024

It is a tribute to Hodgkinson’s maturity and character that, even at this stage of her career, she is expected to win every race she enters.

The “big three” have dominated the world podiums of late, but until Monday, Hodgkinson was the only one yet to triumph.

It was Mu who held off Hodgkinson in Tokyo and then again by 0.08 seconds at the 2022 world championships in Eugene, before Moraa beat both athletes in 2023 to turn his 2022 bronze into gold.

But this series of near misses only intensified Hodgkinson’s dogged determination.

Rather than demoralising her, it pushed her to pursue perfection, with this being her ninth international medal.

Hodgkinson has rarely let up since grabbing headlines by breaking the 17-year-old world under-20 indoor 800m record at the start of 2021, before making her Olympic debut by breaking Kelly Holmes’ British record from 1995.

She further cemented her place as a gold medal favourite in Paris by improving her personal best to one minute 54.61 seconds at the Diamond League in London in June, becoming the sixth-fastest woman in history.

After making this golden promise in Budapest, Hodgkinson kept his word in Paris.

“Keely was ready, she had to run smart. It was very tense but she delivered,” Denise Lewis told BBC TV.

“Hearing those words, ‘Olympic champion,’ when they ring in her ears, that feeling, that moment, will stay with her forever.

“It’s this feeling of relief. That feeling is so sweet, it’s so amazing.”