Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic Champion

Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic Champion. It sounds good, doesn’t it?

It is no longer the childhood dream. No longer the ambition that has fuelled the years of training, of sacrifice, of dedication. After a race for the ages last night, it is reality. The dream realised in the greatest of ways.

You could be forgiven for thinking it might be easy. The headlines were always going to be Athing – Keely. What happens when you take the “biggest” rival out of the equation? For many it was a foregone conclusion, but it was never going to be easy. Nothing in this sport ever is. The World Champion, the World Indoor Champion, two notoriously difficult competitors.

Yet, easy is just how Keely made it look. A fast opening 200m from Tsigie Duguma, but there was no panic. Keely took the lead and took control of the pace. 58.30 at halfway, slower than the semi-finals. The pack came, they tried to overhaul. But this time, they couldn’t. Much like the evening prior, it was the final home straight that cemented the outcome. A killer turn of pace that could not be matched, Keely’s last 200m a superb 28.3 seconds.

Olympic Champion. 1:56.72.

A punch of the fist, and then the tears came. A release of everything built up since Tokyo three years prior. The days of silver were gone. Tokyo, Eugene, Birmingham, Budapest.

Family, friends, flags. A crown on her head. A hug from long-time benefactor Barrie Wells. An electric crowd, a full stadium. A perfect evening, a night to remember.

“That was absolutely incredible. I’ve worked so hard over the last year and you could see how much it meant to me as I crossed the line. I can’t believe I’ve finally done it. It means so much to me. And to do it here, where better?. The audience was absolutely incredible, it felt like a home crowd to me. So I’m super happy.

I’m now the Olympic champion for the next four years and nobody can take that away from me.

I’ve seen all the support from home, I’ve seen people messaging me and I haven’t got back to everyone yet but I will do and I’ve seen it all. It couldn’t feel more amazing to that have support. I’m super happy to bring it home for everyone. It’s not just me, it’s a whole team effort and they know who they are. This is our gold medal”.

Twenty years ago, it was Kelly. Yesterday, it was Keely. A legacy continued on a night to remember in the Stade de France.