Paris, Aug 6 :Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson said becoming women’s Olympic 800m champion on Monday after a succession of silver medals in major finals was a “life changer”.
The 22-year-old produced a thrilling gun-to-tape run to win, ending any fears she would be a runner-up once again.
Hodgkinson took silver in the Tokyo Olmypics three years ago followed by finishing second in the 2022 and 2023 world championships as well as in the Commonwealth Games two years ago.
She said that even an hour after her impressive victory at a packed Stade de France her achievement had yet to “sink in”.
“It changed my life last time,” she said referring to her silver in Tokyo.
“So it is (life changing). I think being the champion, no one can ever take that away from me. Just to come away with that is incredible.
“I don’t know what it will bring, but I think I’m a lot better prepared for it than I was last time in Tokyo.”
Hodgkinson timed 1min 56.72sec for victory, with Ethiopian Tsige Duguma claiming silver in 1:57.15 and Kenya’s Mary Moraa taking bronze (1:57.42).
She said that the pressure was definitely there after the several silvers.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” she said about feeling the pressure.
“The British, they love their Olympics. After what I did in London (a personal best last month), I knew that cemented me as a favourite.
“Nothing is guaranteed. You see favourites go out, medal contenders. It’s so, so difficult. It’s so cut-throat in sport.”
Hodgkinson, who had family in the stadium including her parents Dean and Rachel, said she had used a psychologist as one of several measures to get her in the right groove.
“To deliver on a big stage is super, super tough, and I respect anyone who’s done it,” she said.
“It definitely was different, and it’s definitely taken a different mental approach.
“I’ve used my psychologist a bit more at these championships, and just doing what I can to get the job done.
“But yeah, we’re here, and we’ve done it now, and I’m super happy.”
Hodgkinson said she had tried to shut out thoughts of her rivals bearing down on her.
“I can’t control what they do,” said Hodgkinson. “As long as I cross the line, knowing that I’d give absolutely everything, that’s all I could be happy with, that was whatever the result was.
“But I think I knew I’d be hard to beat today, and she (Moraa) was going to have to do something special.”
Hodgkinson set a personal best just prior to the Games of 1:54.61 and says her sights are on trying to break the 41-year-old world record of Jarmila Kratochvilova (1:53.28).
“It’s definitely another goal,” she said. “Whether it comes off or not, like I say, nothing is guaranteed.
“I’d love to give it a good go. I feel like there is more in there.”
Hodgkinson becomes the third British woman to win Olympic 800m gold after Anne Packer in 1964 and Kelly Holmes in 2004.
Holmes was in the crowd although Hodgkinson said the 2004 champion was finding it hard to keep her language clean.
“She was just jumping up and down, trying not to swear,” said Hodgkinson.
“She’s super nice. I love her energy. You can tell that she’s a champion. I just really wanted to emulate what she did.
“The Kelly and the Keely coming together.”
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